The Last Match is about more than a semifinal in a career-determining contest. It’s also personally important for its opposing male tennis players. Playwright Anna Ziegler also ensures that the women in their lives completely share in their achievements. Kate Alexander, an eminent director of women but well versed in motivating male actors too, astutely shows how intimate ties to women can work when the men are prominent sports figures.
At the U. S. Open, Tim Porter is toward or maybe at the end of a long illustrious career. He’s not feeling as physically fit as he’d like, but his greatest challenge may be emotional. Younger, egotistical Russian Sergeil shows more confidence, yet he has begun to wonder if there shouldn’t be more to his life than tennis.
Both men’s biographical remembrances as well as their sizings up of themselves and opposition come to light during and between (mimed) plays. Tim’s memories mainly involve his courting of and marriage to Mallory (Anique Clements), who left her own fine tennis career to help his. They’ve shared misery over her several miscarriages but now exult in finally having a son—who’s at the game.
Sergeil recalls many episodes getting the gorgeous Galina (Lucy Lavely) to care about him, live with and love him, and even accompany him to his games. She’s his biggest fan at the match yet only now fully has him realizing he should think about having a life not just before a crowd and behind a net.
Structurally, the play may confuse a bit—at least at first— because the players’ memories are not staged chronologically. Thus these demand audience attention to what the men and their loves are going through as well as their skill at their game and the progressive scoring.
Tom Patterson as the star American player and Michael Perrie Jr. as the young Russian score throughout both their personal and professional progression. Even though Tom seems more likeable, Perrie Jr. makes Sergeil rightfully passionat about his career and he does merit audience sympathy for his being before sports fans mainly from his opponent’s country.
Anique Clements does a superior job of showing Mallory’s great love for her husband. She maintains audience respect for her former professional reputation while understanding how she must fight back anxiety about her health and how her miscarriages affected not only that but her attitude toward marriage. Also her self esteem. She actually, like Tom, has a powerful opponent in the strong Galina offered by Lucy Lavely, as devoted to her love as Mallory is to hers.
Clint Wright has made the brick background of FST’s Bowne’s Lab stage seem normal setting for a match and memories, well lit by Andrew Gray. Erin Barnett’s costuming fits various times and places worn. Louis Vetter Torres’ sound works especially well in the game scenes. Highlighting the tech group’s work is that by tennis experts Benjamin Brandt and GI Hodges and great variety of other movement by Ellie Mooney.
Unusual and arresting, The Last Match fits the purpose of FST’s Stage III Series perfectly.
