The key to a successful two-person play is that there has to be massive amounts of chemistry between the players. As unlikely a duo as septuagenarian Alex and more than a little unpredictable Georgie, in her early forties, may be, there is definite electricity on the stage. Kudos to the eternally young Mary-Louise Parker and to her leading man, Denis Arnt. The air fairly crackles when they’re onstage together- which is all the time. Georgie spies Alex at a London train station, and out of the blue, kisses him on the neck. She immediately forces herself on him in a monologue of talking about herself, classic “oversharing.” She fits in as much as she can, as quickly as she can, even when Alex doesn’t seem particularly interested. She knows she’s going to break him down, and so do we. But what’s her game? Is she truly just an off-the-wall grown up waif who needs to connect with another human being? A con artist/hooker out to get his money? Or a woman with an undeniable, uncontrollable yen for older men? What does Alex see when he looks at her? A pretty woman, certainly, but what else? What holds his interest? Even as the play draws to a close, we’re not entirely sure what we’ve seen. The stage is, to put it mildly, minimally dressed, and the actors reconfigure the few pieces of furniture as they go. Part of the audience is seated onstage, but they’re not part of the action. Georgie asks Alex if he’d like to have sex with her; he would, very much. They seem easy with each other physically, but the real intimacy, the trust, is hard won. Does Georgie really have a long lost son in New Jersey? Does Alex give her the money to see him out of genuine fondness, or out of obligation? Will this unusual couple stay together, or will one of them wake up in the morning and find the other gone? So…one big uncertainty principle. Thanks, Dr. Heisenberg. Your guess is as good as mine.
