Watching “Line,” the Second Stage show produced last weekend in the ’92 Theater, I constantly pondered whether or not this play wished to illuminate a concrete message. “Metaphor for life?” I scribbled in my notes; yet this seemed too obvious. “Political implications?” I wondered, but then thought, since this show portrayed the one female character “screwing her way to the top,” that hopefully the playwright and directors did not intend a political message.
“Line” portrays five rather different characters waiting behind a white line for some unknown purpose. Throughout the show, they constantly battle each other for “first place,” eventually using deceiving tricks and violence to land the top spot. This show certainly portrays a life metaphor, yet I deemed this message too obvious for a reason: the script practically spoon-feeds the audience the “moral of the story” multiple times throughout the show.
Filing into the ’92, the audience immediately noticed a single character onstage behind a white line, obviously waiting for something/someone. While I normally find this tactic of a “pre-show show” quite forced, the character’s presence (whose name, we later discover, is Fleming, played by John Mahone ’08) intrigued the audience without distracting them, or seeming too “showy.” Mahone maintained his subtlety throughout the “pre-show” into the actual performance, quite a feat considering the hyperbolic quality of the script.
As the actual show began, Stephen (Thaddeus Gero ’07) joined Fleming onstage and proceeded to torture him with endless facts about Mozart, followed by incessant humming. I found Gero’s portrayal of this obviously obsessive, strange character humorous, yet I nearly gasped when Stephen revealed his age: thirty. I blame the script for the creation of this rather unbelievable character; because of his obvious immaturity, I thought of Stephen as seventeen, eighteen at most, yet even as the character developed throughout the show, I never for a moment believed Stephen as an adult.
Entering to follow Fleming and Stephen in line come Molly (Kate Heller ’09), Dolan (Collin McMichael ’09), and Arnall (Christopher White ’06), who, throughout the rest of the piece, battle each other for the premiere spot. I really commend Heller for trying to create a multi-faceted character in this performance, as I picture Israel Horovitz writing Molly after a particularly bitter fight with a woman in his life, or perhaps he simply imbibes his characters with extremely misogynistic tendencies. As previously stated, Molly finally lands in first place by “screwing her way to the top,” as she successfully seduces every man in line. The script writes each sex scene as a “dance” and Molly and her man sway and step to the beat of the particular partner’s favorite song, a tactic I found unrepresentative and odd. Obviously, I hardly expect the characters to strip down and start going at it onstage, but another choice could have rendered each sexual encounter more symbolic.
I always enjoy watching Chris White perform, and this show proved no exception. From the moment he entered, he really added life to the scene, and the other performers seemed to brighten from his presence as well. During the show, Arnall described his “life’s strategy” to Fleming.
“My philosophy is quite simple,” he said. “Never leave yourself open for surprises, and you’ll never be surprised. Surprise brings pain, pain is bad. No surprise, no pain. No pain, no bad. No bad, all good. I’ve got it made.” White portrayed Arnall’s shock when he discovers how his wife completely decimated his “life’s philosophy” with a mixture of surprise and pain that proved simultaneously funny and quite pitiable.
“Line” requires no “built” set; “scenic design” therefore rests on the lighting designer, a job Greg Malen ’07 managed with extraordinary results. Using the ’92 Theater for a show allows the entire cast and crew only a week of practice in their performance space, which only renders Malen’s lighting design even more impressive. From beginning to end, the lighting remained my favorite aspect of the play, as Malen created a real setting for the actors to utilize simply through illumination.
While I highly disagree with many aspects of the script, the performances created from it produced an entertaining evening of theater. “Line” included many actors never before seen on the Wesleyan stage, as well as two first-time Wesleyan student directors. I applaud their efforts, and look forward to their future performances.
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