‘What someone is, begins to be revealed when his talent abates, when he stops showing us what he can do.’
~ Friedrich Nietzsche~
Ah … the desperate struggle to reclaim the promise of one’s lost youth.
This is an underlining theme of Nicky Silver’s comedy The Agony & The Agony, which enjoys its Michigan premiere courtesy of Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company.
This play is largely about characters whose talents have faded and who are grasping at the chance to shake the label of ‘Loser’ and finally be ‘Somebody’ in the cut-throat world that is the New York theatre scene. But there's another reason that director Lisa Melinn quotes Nietzsche in her program notes.
Like other Nicky Silver plays, this one slays with a silver garrote of sharp one-liners. Unlike other Silver comedies – or any other comedies we know of – this one features the ghost of a real murderer from the 1920s – Nathan Leopold, Jr.
The real-life Leopold was a prodigy who, along with his partner in crime, Richard Loeb, was obsessed with Nietzsche and fancied himself as the ideal Nietzschean ‘Übermensch’ or ‘superman.’ (Fun local trivia: Loeb was the youngest graduate in the history of the University of Michigan.) The idea that their superior intellect put them ‘above the law’ in part inspired them to commit the ‘perfect crime’ – the murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924.
Fast-forward to the present, and a cast of self-centered, delusional, pathetically needy characters who, by ironic comparison, make the sinister Nathan Leopold seem like the still, calm voice of reason.
Richard Aglow, a disappointed playwright, has just begun a new work that inexplicably includes (and apparently summons) the specter of Nathan Leopold, Jr. Richard's wife Lela (who married him in spite of his homosexuality) is hoping to revive her acting career by arranging an intimate evening with a well-known Broadway producer – who happens to be Richard’s nemesis. But Lela’s gigolo/lover also wants to meet the big producer, even though his vitriolic girlfriend shows up and seems ready to deliver a baby at any moment.
The more the situation spins out of control, the more fun the audience has – possibly because even in the improbable there is much that is familiar. Lisa Melinn's cast delivers a satisfying ensemble performance, milking the uncomfortable situations and punchy dialog for plenty of laughs.
The neurotic Richard is convincingly played by Keith Kalinowski, ably supported by Connie Cowper as his wife Lela. Jonathan Davidson is perfect as the unsettling Leopold. Dalibor Stolevski is charming as Lila’s dumber-than-a-box-of-rocks but totally sexy lover, Chet. Molly McMahon, whose character is probably the only honest one in the show, gives us a very pregnant, and very bitchy, Anita. Alan Madlane channels years of theatre experience into his creation of Anton Knight.
Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company’s production of The Agony & The Agony is staged in the blackbox studio theatre --1515 Broadway -- near the Detroit Opera House. The show runs from January 14-February 5, 2011. Cash or check only. Tickets are $18/$15 Students & Industry, but are available on a pay-what-you-can basis at all performances.
Reservations are available via phone at 313-408-7269, online, or at the door the day of the performance. (Cash or check only.) For more information about showtimes, visit the Magenta Giraffe website.
And be sure to check out the ‘repeat offender’ offer – it’s one you can’t refuse.
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