Two Rooms, a 1988 play by Lee Blessings, is having a
mesmerizing revival at The Seeing Place now.
It is in repertory with Dying City, and the two shows provide a
harrowing glimpse into the lives of those left behind in a time of war. They work together as a whole, but each can
stand alone as a great show.
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| Alexandra Hellquist & Justin Hoch |
At first glance, the context of Two Rooms suggests that it will
not age well. It is the story of the
wife of a Lebanese captive, told in the 1980s when hostage taking in Beirut was
common. Michael (Logan Keeler) is an
American professor who has been held captive for over a year, and Lainie (an
electric Alexandra Hellquist) is his wife back home in the states. Lainie has stripped one room to the
bare walls, to mimic her husband’s imagined condition. Two Rooms explores her attempts to push the US Government to resolve her
husband’s case.
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You quickly forget this play was written 25 years ago. The specifics of danger have changed, but the
complexities of the Middle East, the impotence of the State Department, the
motivations of the press and the government are as immediate today as they were
in 1988. And the heartbreak conveyed by
Ms. Hellquist as Lainie is powerful in any era.
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Lainie is both supported and exploited by the press and the US
Government. Lila Smith plays State
Department employee Ellen. Ellen is
equal parts exasperated, frustrated and sympathetic to Lainie and her
situation. Unable to offer anything
concrete, she offers hope – which grows stale after years of captivity.
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Ellen’s counterpoint in the press is Walker, played nicely by Justin Hoch. As a reporter, Walker offers a different route to gain
attention. He works with Lainie to bring
her plight to the American people directly.
Walker gives Lainie plenty of time to tell her story, and then provides
her a voice in the media. He also, oh so
tentatively, might want to offer more, but Lainie shuts down this avenue before
it is even broached. There are a few
perfect moments in which the only caring thing Ellen and Walker can do is to
withdraw. Ms. Smith and Mr. Hoch bring a
depth of humanity and dignity to these roles in those moments.
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| Logan Keeler as Michael (foreground) |
Lainie’s primary avenue of comfort comes from being inside
the empty room, imagining and feeling the presence of her husband. They speak at each other as if reading
letters. They compose
and read these letters mentally, speaking not at each other, but to their memories of each other. Done poorly, this would be a terrible bit of
schmaltz, but these two actors do it beautifully. Never quite in sync, they are believable as a
married couple, deeply in love, but forgetting details over time. Ms. Hellquist and Mr. Keeler create a unique
chemistry in these periods, remembering and loving a misty reflection of their
partners –as the audience sees the partners in real time, striving for a
connection that is just out of reach.
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Directed by Brandon Walker (who
stars in the companion piece Dying City), the pace of the Two Rooms is nearly
perfect. Surprisingly, the longing, the
helplessness and the frustration the characters must deal with, convinces the audience to enjoy everything life has to offer. These two aching shows leave you determine to
make every second count. And the seconds
spent at these two shows are well worth the time. Enjoy!
Two Rooms
Playwright:
Lee Blessing
Director:
Brandon Walker
Cast:
Alexandra Hellquist, Justin Hoch, Logan Keeler, Lila Smith
