“Nicholas Maeve Marianne” at the New York International Fringe Festival at Teatro Circulo
“Nicholas Maeve Marianne” at the New York International Fringe Festival at Teatro Circulo Written by Matthew Stephen Smith Directed by Tim Jaclyn Biskup Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
Ego, Id, and Superego collude to sort out the raging battle between the collective conscious and the collective subconscious of the recently re-formed love triangle between college friends Nicholas (Christopher McLinden), Maeve (Rachael Lee), and Marianne (Shannon Sullivan).
After a two-year separation, Michelle heads east to Bushwick, Brooklyn to visit Maeve and the two decide to make an unannounced visit to Nicholas who, maintaining his love affair with the matrix of the subconscious, appears to be in the midst of a classic nihilistic meltdown. Marianne has clambered back into the conscious realm after a battle with her precocious Id that nearly dissolved her Ego strength. And Maeve maintains her place at the helm of the triad’s Superego: she is controlling, complex, and often condescending. After Nicholas is diagnosed as “always wanting to be an old man” the hell they experienced in their yesteryears breaks loose with a vengeance.
The reunited friends attempt to find an anchor somewhere in the spiral into community madness; however, old wounds refuse to heal and tiny bumps in the tile in Nicholas’ kitchen re-enliven nightmares. Having abandoned Marianne to a mental hospital two years ago and left Maeve, the Bushwick reunion proves to be more than he can handle in his current existentialist emptiness and he decides to move Marianne into his apartment (two large luggage bags included) and make up for lost time. Maeve and a call from home sends Marianne back west and pop goes the weasel on Nick’s brief recovery from reason.
Matthew Stephen Smith’s “Nicholas Maeve Marianne” proves to be an effective extended metaphor for not only the complexities of human relationships, but also a trope for the complexities of the human mind and the intricacies of memory. Under Jaclyn Biskup’s direction, the cast works hard – individually and as an ensemble – to bring their characters’ conflicts to the stage. Unfortunately, Mr. Smith’s writing is often unnatural, especially for these young urban young friends. Conversation becomes stilted and stale consisting of one well-constructed complex sentence after another.
Despite this, “Nicholas Maeve Marianne” is worth a visit. It is a stimulating glimpse into the minds and hearts of three old friends struggling for meaning in their brief reunion.
NICHOLAS MAEVE MARIANNE
“Nicholas Maeve Marianne” is presented by The New York International Fringe Festival and The Mill at Teatro Circulo, 64 East 4th Street (2nd Avenue & Bowery).
All performances of “Nicholas Maeve Marianne” take place at on the following schedule: Tuesday August 20th at 9:45 p.m.; and Saturday August 24th at 1:45 p.m. Tickets are $18.00 at the door and $15.00 for advance purchase. The running time is 1 hour and 35 minutes. For more information about the show and the cast and creative team, please visit www.themilltheatre.org For more information about the 17th Annual New York Fringe Festival visit www.FringeNYC.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, August 18, 2013
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