By Richard Pacheco
Trinity Rep’s most recent offering
is the Sarah Treem play, “The How and the Why.” There are only two characters
in the play. Ms. Treem also wrote and was occasional supervising producer for
HBO’s “In Treatment” This play features two brilliant women with different
takes on a controversial theory regarding female evolution, the women are from
two different generations. The women are at times acerbic and witty, very
intellectual and often totally at odds with each other both scientifically and
personally. The verbal fencing can sometimes be intense and provocative.
Trinity Rep veteran Anne Scurria as
the professor, Zelda and Barrie Kreinik
and the student, Rachel often battle it out with vigor and venom through twists
and turns in both their theoretical positions and their personal relationship.
Ms. Scurria is Dr.Kahn, a leading
expert in the field of evolutionary biology and Ms. Kreinik is an equally
brilliant younger woman on the verge of releasing her own novel and
controversial groundbreaking theory. They share a deep intensity about female
biology and also some dark secrets.
The play is a mixture of science
and passion, often gone awry with unexpected consequences. The two women battle
about the impact of menopause on evolution with drollness and conviction.
Ms. Scurria is excellent as Zelda
Kahn. During the first act, which takes place in her office she is icy, but
poised. She is a woman who has seen many battles, won some, lost some and there
have been definite impacts on her personal life. She is smart and courteous
while welcoming the newcomer who wants to speak at the scientific convention
where she is on the board.
Her attempts at being friendly and
personal often fall short and Ms. Scurria handles it with skill and confidence,
balancing a desire to be personable with the assurance of long achievement and surviving
all of her longtime battles. As the play evolves she exposes a more human side
that makes her more appealing. Ms. Scurria is elegant and complex in the role,
handling all the emotional demands and nuances with dexterity and honesty.
Ms. Kreinik is the passionate and
ambitious Rachel who is not very experienced in the scientific world or for
that matter life issues. She is determined and intelligent, downright dogged at
times with a bit of tunnel vision. She does not react well to criticism and can
often be defensive. She is a mish mash of emotions with intellectual theory.
However the character seems to be a bit self-absorbed and immature, not truly
aware of what it takes to compete at a world class level and its possible
sacrifices. She seems to want it to be easy—one shot and that is it to firmly
and irrevocably establish her career. She seems to ready to toss it all away at
the first sign of serious criticism. Ms. Krenik is intense and passionate in
the role and deftly able to handle the witty interchanges with skill and
conviction and the emotional shifts with sincerity. While the acting is impressive the character
seems to leave something to be desired.
One of the twists in this which
adds so much to the meeting is that they are mother and daughter and the child
was given up for adoption when she was six days old. This is the first time
they have met since then. It brings whole other elements into the mix of the
meeting and a deeper resonance to not only their intellectual discussions, but
their personal interactions as well.
It is directed by Shana Gozansky, a
Brown/Trinity Rep MFA graduate as will be Ms. Kreinik in 2013. She keeps the pacing for the most part right
on course and moving along except for a couple of spots where it slows down in
the science debate due to the script.
The set design by Tilly Grimes is
simple and clever. The office is cluttered and imposing and the bar/restaurant
empty and stark, both very effective.
Olivera Gajic’s costumes capture
the difference between the now established Zelda and the upstart Rachel.
It is the performances which make
this play enticing.
The production continues to Dec. 30
at Trinity Repertory. Call 401-351-4242
or go to www.trinityrep.com Tickets
are $28-$68.
