The generally high-level Manhattan Theater Club has a show called Four, by the very inept (for much of the show, we're listening to one half of a telephone conversation) Christopher Shinn, whose forebear was undoubtedly the bumbling Mayor Shinn in Music Man. Much of the dialogue rings false in this story of two interactions: a teenage gay white boy and a fifty-or-so-year-old black man who likes boys, and the man's lovely, bright daughter and her illiterate, basketball-playing young lover.
The styles of acting in the production are at odds with each other. Pascale Armand as the girl is real and believable, Armando Riesco as her boyfriend defines his character by grabbing his crotch and imitating a Puerto Rican East Bronx accent. Keith Nobbs, as the teenage boy, is naturalistic and introverted, and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. doesn't act; he declaims loudly and punctuates every sentence with severely irritating phony laughter. In one spot, he moves himself to tears. The result is a tedious hour and a half, poorly directed by Jeff Cohen, with a worthy set by Lauren Helpern.
Opened:
February 2002
Ended:
March 31, 2002
Country:
USA
State:
New York
City:
New York
Company/Producers:
Manhattan Theater Club
Theater Type:
off-off-Broadway
Theater:
Manhattan Theater Club - Stage II
Theater Address:
West 55th Street
Running Time:
90 min
Genre:
Drama
Director:
Jeff Cohen
Review:
Parental:
adult & strong sexual themes
Cast:
Keith Nobbs (June), Isiah Whitlock, Jr (Joe), Pascale Armand (Abigayle), Armando Riesco (Dexter).
Other Critics:
TOTALTHEATER Jason Clark + David Lefkowitz +
Critic:
Richmond Shepard
Date Reviewed:
April 2002
