"Durango" - Almost There
Julia Cho, the young playwright, deserves the positive recognition she has received. Her characters, whom she seems to know quite well, live and breathe. These Asian/American people are so, so real and the issues with which they grapple are upsetting to: them -- and a theater audience. "Durango" opened in world premiere at Long Wharf's Second Stage in New Haven Wednesday evening. It continues through October 15th and then moves on to The Public Theater in Manhattan.
Director Chay Yew makes the wise decision not to break the continuity by injecting an intermission. Yet, with a running time of one hour and forty-five minutes or so, the play could use trimming. Cho's script could very well retain all of its vitality were it ten to fifteen minutes shorter.
Boo-Seng Lee (James Saito) has lost his job, just four years shy of a tenure which would have enabled him to keep his benefits as he retired. Without employment, he dictatorially decides that he will drive his sons, Isaac (James Yaegashi) and Jimmy (Jon Norman Schneider) from their home in Arizona to Durango, Colorado -- where they will board a famous train.....
Isaac, on the other side of his undergraduate years, hasn't any desire to go. Jimmy, a highschooler, is thrilled about the excursion. Isaac capitulates and while en route, he and Jimmy, sharing close quarters, have many an in-depth discussion/encounter.
Their mother and Boo-Seng's wife died years before. Isaac knew and loved her while Jimmy was little when she passed on. Now, the younger brother is unable to recall his mother. Isaac and Jimmy's parents did not enjoy a smooth and blissful relationship.
An image of the once beautiful woman, through Paul Whitaker's lighting, appears, at times, downstage. The characters take on voices as they listen to her hopes, dreams, yearnings, and regrets. Actors Ross Bickell (as Ned and Jerry) and Jay Sullivan (playing The Red Angel) provide depth and dimension.
There are not any huge problems to delineate within "Durango." Nor is it a masterpiece and this, perhaps, indicates the quandary surrounding Cho: expectations. She has already garnered a slew of awards and the advance billing precedes her.
"Durango" is good but not great. The opening sequence, however, is quite special. Yaegashi sits on stage with his acoustic guitar and plays a song Cho wrote. The moment is soulful and distinctive. It's one of the highlights of the production. That mini-scene is brilliant. It is totally unfair of us to anticipate that the entire play will approach it. We do just that.
"Durango" yields pain -- and anger, heartbreak, emotional anxiety. The dialogue is honest. We watch talented actors whose timing is commendable.
Some of the theatrical conventions are predictable. For example, the three principals sit in automobile seats during the journey. The storyline, for the most part, is familiar. The terrain (across desert) might prove foreign for those who have not often departed the Northeast.
"Durango" demonstrates Cho's considerable abilities. I would be surprised if this is her best work.
Director Chay Yew makes the wise decision not to break the continuity by injecting an intermission. Yet, with a running time of one hour and forty-five minutes or so, the play could use trimming. Cho's script could very well retain all of its vitality were it ten to fifteen minutes shorter.
Boo-Seng Lee (James Saito) has lost his job, just four years shy of a tenure which would have enabled him to keep his benefits as he retired. Without employment, he dictatorially decides that he will drive his sons, Isaac (James Yaegashi) and Jimmy (Jon Norman Schneider) from their home in Arizona to Durango, Colorado -- where they will board a famous train.....
Isaac, on the other side of his undergraduate years, hasn't any desire to go. Jimmy, a highschooler, is thrilled about the excursion. Isaac capitulates and while en route, he and Jimmy, sharing close quarters, have many an in-depth discussion/encounter.
Their mother and Boo-Seng's wife died years before. Isaac knew and loved her while Jimmy was little when she passed on. Now, the younger brother is unable to recall his mother. Isaac and Jimmy's parents did not enjoy a smooth and blissful relationship.
An image of the once beautiful woman, through Paul Whitaker's lighting, appears, at times, downstage. The characters take on voices as they listen to her hopes, dreams, yearnings, and regrets. Actors Ross Bickell (as Ned and Jerry) and Jay Sullivan (playing The Red Angel) provide depth and dimension.
There are not any huge problems to delineate within "Durango." Nor is it a masterpiece and this, perhaps, indicates the quandary surrounding Cho: expectations. She has already garnered a slew of awards and the advance billing precedes her.
"Durango" is good but not great. The opening sequence, however, is quite special. Yaegashi sits on stage with his acoustic guitar and plays a song Cho wrote. The moment is soulful and distinctive. It's one of the highlights of the production. That mini-scene is brilliant. It is totally unfair of us to anticipate that the entire play will approach it. We do just that.
"Durango" yields pain -- and anger, heartbreak, emotional anxiety. The dialogue is honest. We watch talented actors whose timing is commendable.
Some of the theatrical conventions are predictable. For example, the three principals sit in automobile seats during the journey. The storyline, for the most part, is familiar. The terrain (across desert) might prove foreign for those who have not often departed the Northeast.
"Durango" demonstrates Cho's considerable abilities. I would be surprised if this is her best work.
posted by Fred Sokol at 7:55 AM
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