Politics is always a tricky subject for a playwright to tackle; either you're preaching to the converted or talking to a brick wall. People don't come to the theater to be lectured; they want to be entertained. I'm happy to report that David Marshall Grant's Current Events emerges victorious on both fronts. A play that tackles class, homosexuality, ethics, parenting and boyhood crushes, as well as politics, has a lot to accomplish, and while this play doesn't always quite get there, it never ceases to be entertaining and is refreshingly free of boisterous "dysfunctional family" clichés. Grant knows how to write people (he demonstrated this beautifully with his remarkable Snakebit last season), and David Petrarca (Fuddy Meers) knows how to direct them too, never letting any of the proceedings go too far or become too mundane, and steering a superb cast in the right direction.
Set in a Connecticut home, the play centers on a semi-extended family headed by the steely matriarch Eleanor (Barbara Barrie) and her absent-minded, flighty, ex-model daughter Diana (Christine Ebersole). The latter must deal with Ethan (John Gallagher Jr.), an idealistic 15-year old who is fasting in protest of his miserable existence, which includes his unsure assessment that his uncle Adam (Jon Tenney), a high-powered West Coast politician, is really his father. When Adam shows up to the house with his eager-to-please assistant (Jeremy Hollingworth), old fires burn, and realizations are made and explored.
This play, even with all its ambition, isn't as successful as Snakebit was, but one thing Grant can never be accused of is taking the easy, cheap route. Even when pop-laden punchlines are delivered here, they don't linger for a response. The dialogue is sharp without being showy, and if it lacks intellectual muscularity, that is all the more admirable, since the characters would sound phony if they spoke as if they just drifted in from a Tom Stoppard play. Current Events is all about people making discoveries and expressing feelings they didn't know they had, so the rudimentary tone of the play seems just right.
What brings Events to life, however, are the performances. Every role is perfectly cast, and not one of the principals veers into overacting, which could have happened so easily here. Tenney, with his handsome yet devilish looks, is sympathetic and believable as the politico and manages to make him suggest power without portraying a self-possessed drip. Ebersole is great with dialogue and makes every line sing, giving Diana a warmth many actresses wouldn't have achieved, as they probably would've played up the ex-starlet bit too much. Barrie excels as well, because her line readings are honest, and her characterization is devoid of the Monstrous Mom nonsense that would've crumbled the play's foundation.
The younger players are every bit their match. Hollingworth is quite engaging in his first major role, as is Seth Kirschner, who plays Ethan's best pal. Young Gallagher projects just the right notes of vulnerability as the play's de facto lead in a difficult role (he even has a rather lengthy monologue, pulled off very well for a newbie).
Wittily designed by Derek McLane (the house has a vaguely "Brady Bunch"-ish feel), Events is also a small triumph for director Petrarca, who after the lunacy of Manhattan Theater Club's Fuddy Meers, has to switch gears for a much more intimate play, and gets possibly even better results, proving himself an astute helmer of ensemble pieces.
