An unusual triangle lies at the heart of Need to Know, Jonathan Caren’s dramedy, now in a world-premiere run directed by Bart DeLorenzo at Rogue Machine. Steven (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe) and Lilly (Corryn Cummins) are struggling young artists who have just moved into an apartment “somewhere between Harlem and the Upper West Side.” Their next-door neighbor is young-adult novelist Mark (Tim Cummings) who quickly insinuates himself into their lives.
In a traditional triangle, Mark would hit on Lilly, triggering a conflict between the two males, with Lilly caught in the middle. Caren, however, puts his own unique twist on the set-up. In Need to Know, Mark, a shlubby-looking but extremely bright guy, makes a move on both Steven and Lilly, trying in a passive-aggressive way to take over their lives. This unnerves the couple and causes trouble between them, with resulting animus aimed at Mark. That plot description doesn’t do justice to the play’s real strength, which is to keep going deeper and deeper into its three characters, trying to find the mother-lode of humanity in them. Their struggle to discover and tap into that essence–to become truly human and forgiving and compassionate–is what Need to Know is really all about. Caren handles this serious theme in a deft, mostly comic way, using witty repartee, lashings of sex and occasionally goofy behavior to keep the audience entertained. He also works Steven and Lilly’s pet goldfish into the story in a clever, touching way. And his treatment of Mark’s homosexuality is both frank and refreshingly original.
A play that puts character above story needs excellent actors to work well. Need to Know is fortunate in that regard, thanks to the inspired work of its three-person cast, who are unfazed by the challenge of capturing all the changes and complexities posed by Caren’s text. Director Bart DeLorenzo and set designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz also deserve a tip of the hat, having put together a production that floats on gossamer wings from beginning to end.
