Heaven, as perceived by a very angry Canadian playwright George F. Walker, in his play of the same name, is hell on earth and visa versa. Or so it seems in his newest work, directed by Evan Yionoulis. The advertisements for this production come with a parental caution advisory; they should come with an adult caution advisory. It is ironic that while all the production qualities, from casting to technical elements, are first rate, Walker's writing veers from brilliant excitement to lazy to just simply self-indulgent, most noticeable in the rambling monologue at the end of the play.
There are moments when elements of the plot seem to come together; there are flashes of humor, especially in the scenes with a young woman named Cissy, wonderfully executed by Jane Cho, who bravely balances herself on stilts, while juggling balls and a difficult role; there are exceptional moments of fantasy, the best scenes in the show. For the most part, however, Heaven is mired in self-loathing, self destruction and violent behavior, suffused in mountains of expletive, misogyny, drug abuse and virulent hatred and stereotypes of all religions. More importantly, there are four on-stage murders, two by gunshot, one by strangulation and one by stabbing, and several bloody beatings; folks, this is no cakewalk. Mr. Walker has defended his violent work, comparing it laughingly to Shakespeare; suffice to say that the characters he creates are ciphers, spewing speeches.
All of the mayhem takes place in a grungy, rubble-strewn park surrounded by barbed wire. Michael O'Keefe does his job well as James Joyce Milliken, a human rights attorney who hates everyone and everything, particularly his Jewish wife Judy's family and his own Catholic family, both of whom have spurned him and his marriage. He also goes on and on about tribalism and the conflicts between the different cultures he sees in his practice. Kate Levy gives a strong and competent portrayal of Judy, who is caught in an impossible situation, even sticking with James after his heart attack. In the opening scene, Jimmy is threatened at gun-point by Karl, an undercover cop, who blames Jimmy for their mutual friendæs death. Karl, played with diabolical menace by Robert Clohessy, gets crazier and meaner as the play develops, torturing Derek, a young African-American man, a drug addict acted well by Leslie Elliard, to find the gun that he has used to perform a murder we know nothing about. Karl is responsible for all of the murders.
A most disturbing element here is the young Rabbi David, played by Joseph Urla. In a demeaning portrait, he is depicted as a kind man but an admitted racist, whose only talent is to cook. When asked questions of basic religious philosophy, he is bereft of all answers. Here was a chance for the playwright to give answers and provide substance to an otherwise empty shell of a premise, but he is bereft of all rational answers.
