Wrecks

Ahhh. Neil LaBute....quite the prolific playwright. After living in NYC only 2 1/2 years I have seen 4 LaBute plays....yes, 4 - Fat Pig, This Is How It Goes, Some Girl(s), and now Wrecks, at the Public Theater.

I love this quote from Theatre Mania - it sums things up pretty well (err.. except for the "superior play" part): "In a way, Neil LaBute has become a theatrical brand name. Buy a ticket to one of his plays and you can count on three things: great acting, probably with some movie stardust associated with the cast; a surprise twist at the climax; and a generally superior play."

Wrecks features Ed Harris in this solo show, delivering a 75 minute monologue. As Edward Carr, Mr. Harris plays a newly bereaved widow talking through his stream of consciousness, still in the funeral home, after his wife has just died. He begins to tell of his life - starting with his childhood as an orphan and going on to live in ten or so different foster homes. Not too much fun, I can imagine. He talks of his wife and how great their time was together - he goes into specific details of their lives, and things start to seem a little too perfect for them to be true. For 65 of the 70 minutes, this man has just professed how much he loves his wife with the business and life they have built together. And then...the twist. And as much as I want to write about it - that just wouldn't be fair. So...try to see the show - or let me know and I can tell you all about...

Regardless of plot - LaBute also directed the play.... however, it's very understated, and it almost seems like Ed Harris could have directed himself most of the time. But let's talk about Ed Harris. As you probably would have guessed - he was fantastic in the role. I've really had so much respect for him as an actor for as long as I can remember, and he didn't disappoint. I started to think about how perfect the acting must be to carry a solo show - and he certainly was up to the challenge.

After seeing Wrecks, I'm curious to see where LaBute will go next. I'm still not entirely loving him as a playwright at this point but not ready to give up just yet.