Halpern has just laid his wife of over 50 years, Flo, to rest. As he looks down at the grave, saying a few last words, Johnson enters, a bouquet of flowers in his arms for his long-time friend, Florence. Halpern is in funereal black wearing his yarmulke; Johnson is in his conservative gray three-piece suit -- two men mourning the loss of one woman. Thus begins their stories and the opening of North Coast Repertory Theater's West-Coast premiere of Lionel Goldstein's Halpern and Johnson.
Halpern (Robert Grossman) and Johnson (Jonathan McMurtry) are a perfect contrast. Their characters meet, eight weeks after the interment, for a picnic lunch in a park. Halpern is a bit stooped over, dressed on the shabby side of casual, his hair a bit askew. He is a rough-hewn man, a man of hard work; once a muscular youth, now a bit stoop-shouldered. He wears his emotions for all to see as they vacillate from unheard whispers to short, almost tantrum-like rages.
Johnson, ever in this tailored suit, brings a proper wicker picnic basket replete with matching china, proper glasses for Jack Daniels and red wine, even ringed-napkins. His is the demeanor of his former profession, an accountant. His speech is ever quiet and controlled, just as his whole life has been. His emotions run very, very deep, and are hardly ever allowed to be seen. When seen, though, his righteous anger can be monumental. The story of their relationships with the deceased is the stuff of a reality many have had, and alas, never admitted to. It is an intriguing tale of two men's love for the same woman and how each related to her.
Grossman, who is active in New York theater as well as here, says volumes with a look, a curl of a lip, a flash of his eyes. McMurtry, an Old Globe and San Diego regular for over 45 years, brings his special intensity, an ability to understate his character and, thus, provide it with even more power. It is Goldstein's sharp dialogue that delineates the personalities of Halpern and Johnson, two men from totally different backgrounds whose common love of Flo or Florence brings them to a strange, at times difficult, relationship.
Marty Burnett's set, a graveyard and park, is nicely muted with the brown and green of the trees and a gray stone fountain. It complements Jeanne Reith's black and grey costumes. Bonnie Durben's props, most notably the lunch accessories, add nice touches of color. Mia Bane Jacobs' lighting is simple and serves the production well. The sound track, by Robert May, is amazingly live. It constantly establishes the outdoor settings in a quiet, unobtrusive manner. One hears birds chirping, a baby's crying, and distant street noises. The effect is complete reality.
McMurtry and Grossman would be engrossing if they just sat down and read us the morning paper. They are that good! With Goldstein's words, under the excellent direction of artistic director David Ellenstein, these two fine actors captivate the audience. This production could very well play to many sold-out houses. I strongly suggest you make reservations quickly. You certainly don't want to miss Halpern and Johnson.
