‘HAPPY TALK’: Marin Ireland & Susan Sarandon. Photo: Monique Carboni

HAPPY TALK
Written by Jesse Eisenberg
Directed by Scott Elliott
Through June 16, 2019
The New Group at the Pershing Square Signature Center
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
480 West 42nd Street
(212-279-4200), http://www.TheNewGroup.org

By David NouNou

I was so intrigued by Jesse Eisenberg’s last play The Spoils, presented by the New Group in 2015 (also performed at this same theatre and directed by Scott Elliott), that I really looked forward to his next show. Mr. Eisenberg can never be accused of lacking imagination when it comes to his play writing. So for his current venture Happy Talk, he has Lorraine (Susan Sarandon), a suburban New Jersey housewife, rehearsing to play Bloody Mary in the Jewish Community Center production of South Pacific. Well, the premise right there is a hoot. However, Lorraine is saddled by a bed-ridden dying mother who is never seen; a pain-riddled husband, Bill (Daniel Oreskes) who is mainly seated quietly and reading his papers in his recliner; and an estranged daughter, Jenny (Tedra Millian). Throughout all this mayhem, there is a savior, the Serbian immigrant aide Ljuba (Marin Ireland). Ljuba tends to the dying mother, the ailing husband, and especially to Lorraine, who is in constant need of validation.

After six months of working for this family, Ljuba asks Lorraine for a favor. She is here illegally from Serbia and wonders if Lorraine, who works with so many people in her theatrical community, can find her a husband that she can buy with the $15,000 she has saved in order to get her green card. Lorraine does a great job of matchmaking and brings home Ronny (Nico Santos). Ronny plays Lt. Cable in South Pacific. He is gay, Asian, and has a partner and both are in desperate need of money, so Ronny is willing to comply.

The set-up in part one is amusing, the second part is hysterical and witty, but the third part becomes Mr. Eisenberg’s now formulaic, five-character nihilism as it was in The Spoils.

Mr. Eisenberg could have had a wonderful comedy, the likes of Neil Simon. It could have been something totally different for him and very entertaining for the times in which we live, but he chose to stick to his now trademark dark themes. His Lorraine is a wonderful eccentric character like so many wannabes who never made it in real life as a professional actress but delude themselves that they bring extra character to the part they are playing when the part already has all the essentials the character needs. Susan Sarandon is a superb actress, and as Lorraine, she not only embodies delusional and is loved by all, but also can deliver devious and crazy like no one else. She makes Lorraine a terrifying experience for anyone who works in community theatre.

In Happy Talk, Marin Ireland captivates us from the onset. Eccentric? Yes, but in the best sense, upbeat in a sort of Gilda Radner way as Lisa Lubner, or Roseanne Roseannadanna (from the early seasons of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”), perfectly charming, and delivering a sensitive, heartbreakingly authentic performance to be counted among the best of the year.

If you liked Nico Santos in last year’s mega-hit movie Crazy Rich Asians, you’ll adore him here. As if being gay and Asian, playing the all-American Lt. Joe Cable in South Pacific isn’t enough, he wants to give Joe a limp to add character, and that concept itself is a scream. He is the perfect remedy for what is about to unfold.

Jesse Eisenberg has written a good play and Scott Elliott has directed it in an adroit manner, but both have already explored similar territory because The Spoils also featured a protagonist who turned into an antagonist and became a nihilist. With Happy Talk, Mr. Eisenberg and Mr. Elliott have both rehashed things from their previous collaboration. However, I still recommend the play highly just to witness thoroughly engaging performances from Marin Ireland, Susan Sarandon and Nico Santos.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 16, 2019
Reviewed at May 12, 2019 press preview performance.

‘HAPPY TALK’: (left to right) Daniel Oreskes, Nico Santos, Susan Sarandon & Marin Ireland. Photo: Monique Carboni

‘HAPPY TALK’: (left to right) Susan Sarandon, Marin Ireland & Nico Santos. Photo: Monique Carboni

‘HAPPY TALK’: (left to right) Daniel Oreskes, Susan Sarandon & Nico Santos. Photo: Monique Carboni

‘HAPPY TALK’: (left to right) Marin Ireland, Susan Sarandon & Tedra Millan. Photo: Monique Carboni

‘HAPPY TALK’: (left to right) Susan Sarandon, Marin Ireland & Tedra Millan. Photo: Monique Carboni

The post ‘Happy Talk’: Susan Sarandon & cast shine appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE SPOILS’: Jesse Eisenberg & Kunal Nayyar. Photo: Monique Carboni

THE SPOILS
Written by Jesse Eisenberg
Directed by Scott Elliott
Through June 28, 2015
The New Group
The Pershing Square Signature Center
480 West 42nd Street
(212-279-4200), http://www.TheNewGroup.org

By David NouNou

To what ends would one go through to annihilate the ones closest to them? How low would privileged, shiftless millennials sink to, in order to douse the happiness of those hard workers, contributors to society, and people who are just happy to be themselves? How disliked and repellant do you have to be in order to get some recognition from those closest to you? These are just some of the demons that playwright Jesse Eisenberg tries to exorcise here, and he deals with them in a Machiavellian way, with hysterical humor and of course the drama at the core.

Ben (Jesse Eisenberg) is over privileged, living in a fantastic high-rise apartment that his father bought him, and was kicked out of NYU graduate film school. Ben’s never done a day’s work in his life. He’s a pot-smoking, aimless guy who berates everyone close to him. In addition, he’s a bigot, and can’t stand anyone’s happiness, ethics or ambitions. On good days, Ben is sarcastic and spews venom. Ben has a Nepalese roommate, Kalyan (Kunal Nayyar), a hard worker and a finance major. Kalyan loves being in America, and genuinely cares for and likes Ben. He feels obligated to him because Ben lets him live there for free.

Kalyan has a girlfriend, Reshma (Annapurna Sriram), who is medical student on clinical rotations and is very fond of Kalyan, admires his ambitions but has her misgivings about him. She feels free to come and go in Ben’s apartment, and she has contempt for Ben.

On this auspicious day, Ben runs into a former grade-school acquaintance, Ted (Michael Zegen), a likeable Wall Street douche. Ted is marrying Sarah (Erin Darke), a former grade school crush of Ben’s who is now a public school teacher. Now the circle of characters is complete and Eisenberg’s Machiavellian mind shifts the action into high gear. How does a self-hating, childish bully vanquish anyone who is happy, to some degree self-absorbed, has a modicum of success and looks forward to a brighter future?

The ensemble of five is terrific. Eisenberg, the actor, an Oscar nominee and best known for The Social Network, plays the self-destructive Ben to perfection; as both playwright and actor he plays him sincerely and asks for no pity. Like everyone else in life, Ben has to find his own way through his maze.

Kunal Nayyar, best known as TV’s Raj Koothrappalli in the TV series “The Big Bang Theory,” has left such an indelible mark as Raj, that it is almost impossible to separate him from his TV character. Let’s say that Kalyan is the New York cousin of Raj: an optimistic, serious, hard-working immigrant who longs for a better life and Mr. Nayyar delivers splendidly.

Erin Darke, Annapurna Sriram, and Michael Zegen complete the cast and each one stands out well as their character. Scott Elliott, Artistic Director of The New Group and director of The Spoils, should have given Mr. Eisenberg, the playwright, a bit more focus, especially in Act II, because Mr. Eisenberg is proving himself not only as a successful young actor but is distinguishing himself as a new voice and an interesting, up-and-coming playwright.

Jesse Eisenberg & Kunal Nayyar. Photo: Monique Carboni

Jesse Eisenberg & Kunal Nayyar. Photo: Monique Carboni

Annapurna Sriram & Jesse Eisenberg. Photo: Monique Carboni

(Left to right) Michael Zegen, Jesse Eisenberg & Erin Darke. Photo: Monique Carboni

Jesse Eisenberg & Erin Darke. Photo: Monique Carboni

The cast of ‘The Spoils.’ Photo: Monique Carboni

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published June 2, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on May 31, 2015

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