Public - New Work Now!

Every year the Public Theater produces a series of readings of new works (mostly in progress) called New Works Now, and they open this event to the public for free. What could be better?

(Picture from Public Theater)

Things We Want - by Jonathan Marc Sherman
This silly, amusing, play about three brothers was fun to watch but ultimately left me without much substance to ponder. The reading was directed well by Ethan Hawke and acted especially well by Josh Hamilton (Coast of Utopia), Stephen Lynch (The Wedding Singer), and Peter Dinklage (Elf, Station Agent) - three oddly-paired actors who actually played brothers pretty convincingly. The play takes place in two parts - the first Act is set on the day when Charlie, the youngest brother, comes home from dropping out of Culinary School. He finds his two older brothers at home in their apartment. Stuy is the middle brother, and his life is a waste as he spends all of his days in a haze of alcoholism and on their couch. Teddy is the oldest and seemingly has his head on his shoulders as he has built a career with his guru, Dr. Miracle. Charlie has just been broken up with by his girlfriend, Zelda, and is pining over his loss. Stuy calls over an acquaintance from the apartment building, Stella and she and Charlie seem to hit it off.

Act II opens a year later and now Teddy is the brother on the couch suffering from Alcoholism (after having his career ruined by the phony Dr. Miracle) and Stuy has his act together - arriving home with his one-year sober chip from AA. Charlie and Stella have been dating throughout the year and are celebrating their first anniversary. In another twist of events, as Charlie and Stuy are off buying groceries for the big annniversary dinner - Teddy seduces Stella (or is it the other way around?) and the two run off together. Charlie comes home, finds himself surprisingly not depressed and realizes that life is just a series of hurdles and jumps that he must get through.

The play is a windy road with many twists and turns - and an odd quick piece of dialogue when Charlie and Stella meet that reveals that the brother's parents both died committing suicide out of their apartment window (the same window, both times...). This comes back in the end several times with the brothers trying to get through the hardest parts one day at a time. I think the playwright has a bit of tightening up to do - the play could be cut down in dialogue and increased in substance, and I think no intermission is necessary. I could see it running off-broadway somewhere like Second Stage or Cherry Lane...but not much bigger than that.