‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: David Morse & Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE
Written by Paula Vogel
Directed by Mark Brokaw
Through May 29, 2022
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com

By David NouNou

How I Learned to Drive, Paula Vogel’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning memory play, lives eternally when done well. The thrill of seeing the original cast, Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse reprising their roles of L’il Bit and Uncle Peck, is a theatrical wonder that seldom happens. It’s been 25 years since they created these roles and it seems as if time has stood still for these two to bring their characters back to life.

Set throughout the 1960s, the story follows the strained sexual relationship between Li’l Bit (Mary-Louise Parker) and her aunt’s husband, Uncle Peck (David Morse) from her adolescence through her teenage years and into college. The play delves into pedophilia and the ability to control and manipulate. All this is in the guise of learning how to drive a car.

The narrative shifts to different time periods starting in 1969 in a parking lot in rural Maryland. Li’l Bit is 17 and we see what seems for the first time, Uncle Peck unhooking her brassiere through her flannel shirt and admiring her breasts. She feels discomfort with this act, and the scene breaks into Li’l Bit describing her dysfunctional family life and the dynamics of her family. Her father left her mother early on, her grandparents called her Li’l Bit because of her small breasts when she was young. Her biological Aunt Mary was married to Uncle Peck and he became her father figure.

Like any memory play, times shift and one thinks of things at different stages of their life. Li’l Bit has a lot of memories of events that took place in 1968, to 1964, and all the way back to 1961. Whether it was in the car, a restaurant, a motel, the memories keep flooding.

Inserted is a wonderful scene of Aunt Mary (Johanna Day) confessing to the audience that she knew what was happening. The fact that her husband was an alcoholic, but Li’l Bit in a deal with Uncle Peck stopped him from drinking. He shaped up, and she knew that Li’l Bit was manipulating her uncle to get him to do some of these things. In a heartbreaking moment, Aunt Mary says that she just has to sit it out till Li’l Bit goes to college in a year and she can have her husband back.

The whole play has to be seen to be appreciated for its nuances. Not everything is as clear as it seems. There are gray shadings, but that’s for the audience to decide. Mark Brokaw, the director keeps the proceedings moving without any confusion of the different times.

Seeing the original cast members—Mary-Louise Parker, David Morse and Johanna Day—is one of the highlights of this theatrical season. A definite must-see.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 24, 2022
Reviewed at April 23, 2022 press performance.

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: Davis Morse & Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: Chris Myers & Mary-Louise Parker. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: (left to right) Mary-Louise Parker, Johanna Day & Alyssa May Gold. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE’: Mary-Louise Parker & David Morse.

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‘THE NAP’: (left to right) Max Gordon Moore, Bhavesh Patel, Ben Schnetzer, John Ellison Conlee & Heather Lind. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE NAP
Written by Richard Bean
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Through November 11, 2018
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), http://thenapbroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Set in present day Sheffield in the United Kingdom, Richard Bean’s The Nap is about snooker. Snooker is a British game similar to pool and billiards. There are no solid or striped balls, both players get to sink the same balls into pockets, and some of the balls have higher point values than others. Obviously the more points you sink till the last ball is sunk, the player with the most points wins. One cannot divulge too much of the plot, because most of the fun of this show is witnessing how the story unfolds.

Dylan Spokes’ (Ben Schnetzer) world revolves around snooker; he has devoted his life to it. His father Bobby Spokes (John Ellison Conlee) has primed Dylan for this moment to compete in The World Snooker Championship. There are more people involved but again, one can’t tell you much about them because their characters are part of the plot development. There is Stella Spokes (Johanna Day) Dylan’s mother, Tony DanLino (Max Gordon Moore) is his sleazy agent, and Waxy Bush (Alexandra Billings). a transsexual mobster.

Mr. Bean’s other show, One Man, Two Guvnors, which opened at the Music Box in 2011 with James Corden, was a frantic comedy with a stellar performance by Mr. Corden. The Nap is a slower-paced comedy with convoluted characters that are mixed up with all sorts of shady dealings which is in large part where the play gets its fun.

Daniel Sullivan’s direction keeps the plot and actors constantly moving and you really have to pay attention to the dialogue. Because of the regional British accents in the show, it makes it difficult to understand all the punch lines, thus extra listening is required to get the most out of them.

Ben Schnetzer is very good as the Dylan, the young snooker player caught up in the machinations of the adults. John Ellison Conlee delivers yet another delightful performance as Dylan’s addlepated former drug-dealing father; and when your character is named Waxy Bush, a transsexual mobster, Alexandra Billings makes the most of her sublime role.

The Nap is not as rambunctious as its predecessor, but still a delightful evening of hi-jinx in the theater.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 1, 2018
Reviewed at September 30, 2018 press performance.

‘THE NAP’: Ben Schnetzer & Heather Lind. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NAP’: Ben Schnetzer & Johanna Day. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NAP’: Max Gordon Moore & (left to right) Johanna Day & Alexandra Billings. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NAP’: Max Gordon Moore & John Ellison Conlee. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NAP’: Ben Schnetzer & Max Gordon Moore. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NAP’: Max Gordon Moore & Alexandra Billings. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NAP’: (left to right) Bhavesh Patel, Thomas Jay Ryan, Ahmed Aly Elsayed, Max Gordon Moore, Ben Schnetzer, John Ellison Conlee, Johanna Day, Heather Lind, Alexandra Billings & Ethan Hova. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘SWEAT’: (left to right) John Earl Jelks, James Colby (behind bar), Michelle WIlson, Johanna Day & Alison Wright. Photo: Joan Marcus

SWEAT
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Kate Whoriskey
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-239-6200), www.sweatbroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Friendships among coworkers at a factory in Reading, Pennsylvania are tested in this gritty drama about working-class heroes and betrayal. The show, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, transferred to Broadway after a successful run last year at the Public Theater downtown. Sweat could not be more topical and timely. In addition, the ensemble cast is so powerful and the performances so strong that it is easy to overlook most of the thematic clichés and directing flaws.

Sweat is a Rust Belt epic that goes back and forth from 2000 to 2008, set in a factory town that typifies and reflects everything we heard about “battleground states” in last year’s presidential election, with union workers worried that their jobs will be shipped to cheaper plants in Mexico. Everything about that world is here, from talk of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) to xenophobia about “outsiders” and disenfranchised whites.

The story is told in both the past and present. The opening unfolds in 2008 as parole officer Evan (Lance Coadie Williams) gives the third degree to Chris (Khris Davis) and Jason (Will Pullen), both of whom have been friends for years. Next, we go back to 2000 to a bar in which most of the story takes place. The watering hole is run by Stan (James Colby), a guy who once toiled at the mill himself and has seen and heard the troubles of local workers all his life. We meet longtime factory worker Tracey (Johanna Day) and her friends and coworkers Cynthia (Michelle Wilson) and Jessie (Alison Wright). Tensions arise when Cynthia applies for a management job at the plant, irking Tracey and Jessie. Can coworkers remain friends with someone once she’s promoted to management? What follows is fairly predictable, but still mirror stories of layoffs, lockouts and broken dreams in factory towns across the USA.

Other characters include bar worker Oscar (Carlo Albán), the U.S.-born son of Colombian immigrants and Cynthia’s ex Brucie (John Earl Jelks), a substance abuser. Oscar unwittingly provides even more tension for Tracey as she realizes he may take a non-union job at the plant at a far lower hourly wage than she makes.

One of the show’s only problems is Kate Whoriskey’s uneven direction. Although Ms. Whoriskey gets first-rate performances from everyone, she and fight director U. Jonathan Toppo have trouble choreographing a violent fight scene in Act II.  While this scene is crucial, most of the stage combat comes across as awkward.

The characters are multi-faceted and realistic, and although Ms. Nottage’s twists are a bit hackneyed, the cast brings a sense of authenticity to these hard-working people faced with no hope. As the three lead women, Ms. Day, Ms. Wright and Ms. Wilson are all exceptional and yell and scream with conviction. Standouts of the show include Mr. Colby as Stan, giving a gut-wrenching performance, and Mr. Albán, whose portrayal of Oscar is infused with subtle honesty and integrity.

Ms. Nottage reportedly wrote the play after conducting countless interviews with real-life factory workers in Reading, and her research ultimately paid off because, despite some shortcomings, Sweat is a thought-provoking drama that is especially relevant in modern-day America.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 31, 2017
Reviewed at press performance on March 30, 2017

‘SWEAT’: (left to right) Alison Wright, Johanna Day, Khris Davis, James Colby, Carlo Alban & Will Pullen. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: (left to right) Carlo Alban, John Earl Jelks, Johanna Day, Michelle Wilson & Johanna Wright. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: (left to right) Johanna Day, Michelle Wilson, Carlo Alban & Alison Wright. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: Michelle Wilson & Johanna Day. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: Khris Davis & Lance Coadie Williams. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: Alison Wright, Will Pullen & Michelle Wilson. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: Will Pullen & Khris Davis. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: Michelle Wilson & John Earl Jelks. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: Alison Wright, Johanna Day & Michelle Wilson. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SWEAT’: Johanna Day & Carlo Alban. Photo: Joan Marcus

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