'Significant Other': Love & the single gay

‘SIGNIFICANT OTHER’: Gideon Glick, Rebecca Naomi Jones & Lindsay Mendez. Photo: Joan Marcus

SIGNIFICANT OTHER
Written by Joshua Harmon
Directed by Trip Cullman
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.SignificantOtherBroadway.com

By David NouNou

My God, present-day millennial gay dating is fraught with so many obstacles and so much angst and pressure, it’s a wonder Jordan Berman, the show’s lead, comes out of it alive. I thought it was tough in the 1970s and 1980s navigating through one-night stands, but it was a breeze compared to what poor Jordan has to go through. What with having to see his three BFFs getting married one at a time and attending their engagements and bridal showers, it’s a wonder he has any time to go out and find a date for himself. When he does land a date, it’s with a coworker who may or may not be gay. Let’s also not forget the pressures one has to endure with social media.

Basically that is the plot of Significant Other. It is a harmless comedy that tries to show a gay 29- year-old, who is good-looking, fun, life of the party. Jordan Berman (Gideon Glick) sees his three BFFs Kiki (Sas Goldberg). Vanessa (Rebecca Naomi Jones) and his closest, Laura (Lindsay Mendez), getting married off and with each loss, he becomes more morose and sinks into a deeper funk.

The three BFFs: Kiki, the Jewish girl; Vanessa, the black girl; and Laura, the white girl are not so much as real characters as they are stereotypical TV sitcom characters; so the actresses that are playing them, Ms. Goldberg, Ms. Jones, and Ms. Mendez respectively do their best to define these roles. In the lesser male roles, playing multiple parts each: John Behlmann (Will, the man crush, Conrad/Tony) and Luke Smith (Zach/Evan/Roger) both play their characters with distinct personalities and come off more favorably.

Which brings us to the hardest part, Jordan Berman, who becomes a buzzkill by the end of the play. As each friend gets married, he becomes more isolated and obsesses on his fellow worker, Will, which makes him even more pitiful than pitiable. He leaves these long-winded, ridiculous messages on his friend’s voicemails, who don’t pick up when he calls, throws tantrums, and becomes needier, as he sinks deeper into his downward spiral. The sad part is as each of his friends gets married and moves on, Jordan just stays in his place and clings to the past. Instead of going out and trying to meet someone, he just wallows in his loneliness. Mr. Glick skillfully changes moods like a chameleon, which is what is demanded of him, and makes the part believable.

There are funny and touching moments in Significant Other, especially the ones with his loving grandmother, Helene (the wonderful Barbara Barrie). She brings a lot of heart to the obvious Nana role. Thanks to Trip Cullman’s fast-paced, breezy and inventive direction, he keeps this otherwise obvious fluff story afloat.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 8, 2017
Reviewed at press performance on March 7, 2017