Sea Wall/A Life
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Cititour.com Review
“A sad tale’s best for winter” wrote William Shakespeare. If you’re a subscriber to this philosophy, try to grab a ticket to “Sea Wall/A Life,” now at the Public Theater, where you get two sad tales for the price of one. These paired 45-minutes monologues, by the acclaimed British dramatists Simon Stephens and Nick Payne, each pack a punch to the stomach with a story of love and loss and leave the head and heart in deep contemplation of the brevity of life.
Of course, this unusual evening has another target audience: fans of the British actor Tom Sturridge and the American heartthrob Jake Gyllenhaal. Unsurprisingly, both men are to be commended for their commitment to these difficult pieces, their immersion in their characters, and their singular ability to command the stage, never letting the audience’s minds wander.
Sturridge, known to Broadway audiences for his work in “Orphans” and “1984,” projects an offbeat intensity that ultimately works well for Alex, a photographer (once unemployed, then successful) who begins by talking about the deep love an unknown female and male have for each other. Is it his wife and another lover? His parents? No, it’s soon revealed that he’s speaking about his young daughter and his gruff yet lovable father-in-law who now resides in the south of France, both of whom he develops incredible affection for over time.
Sadly, we realize all too quickly that something horrible will happen to one or both of them, which undercuts whatever suspense Stephens may have hoped to put into the monologue. Still, there are some gorgeous passages -- along with some mildly annoying moments when Alex starts to tell us something, but never does – that make even the inevitable denouement worth waiting for.
In “A Life,” Payne takes a different tack. He puts his cards on the proverbial table almost immediately as Abe’s story veers between –and often internally collides with – the death of his father and the birth of his daughter, which take place years apart. Gyllenhaal, in everyman mode, limns both sides of his character beautifully, making us believe totally in the young man who is so used to being a son that not only can’t he imagine life without a father, he can’t imagine (or initially handle) being a father. (In expressing that latter emotion, he does skate surprisingly close to Mike Birbiglia in “The New One.”)
What’s more remarkable is that so many of the feelings Abe expresses feel universal, even to someone who has not lost a father nor ever had children. And Payne’s pointed commentary on the three types of death every person will have to deal with turn out to be among the most heart-wrenching words I’ve ever heard.
Credit for the evening’s success also belongs to director Carrie Cracknell, who clearly trusts both her material and her performers. Laura Jellinek’s set is largely bare, and the few props the actors use sparingly include some photography lights, a bottle of beer, a cell phone, and rather briefly, a piano. Moreover, Cracknell doesn’t ask Sturridge or Gyllenhaal to go back and forth between characters; each man basically tells his narrative almost completely in his own voice, and it proves to be a smart strategy.
Admittedly, there’s not much new wisdom being imparted in “Sea Wall/A Life.” Still, unlike much of today’s theater, these one-acts are far from just being sound and fury signifying nothing.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://publictheater.org/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/18-19-Season/Sea-Wall--A-Life/
Cast
Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge
Open/Close Dates
Opening 2/1/2019
Closing 3/31/2019
Theatre Info
Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10003
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