Usher Nonsense #48 – Between Us
BETWEEN US by Joe Hortua, directed by Christopher Ashley. MTC at City
Center
Sets - Neil Patel (Christmas Ride, Beard of Avon, Dirty Tricks), Lighting -
Christopher Akerlind, Costumes - Jess Goldstein
With Kate Jennings Grant, David Harbour, Daphne Rubin-Vega & Bradley White.
Here's what you should do. Have a nice dinner, take your time, and just go to the
second act. You will miss a terrific set change from a contemporary house in Nowhere
Flat America to a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. You won't miss the long first
act: Harbour and White were photography students together. White is on his way to
becoming a successful artist. Harbour gave up art for job security and is miserable. He
and Grant have just had a child and announce to their visiting old friends, Rubin-Vega
and White, that a divorce is in the future. This takes about an hour.
Cut to Act Two, and we are in the Manhattan apartment of Rubin-Vega and White. The
tides have turned. White's career is in the toilet. They now also have one child and
Rubin-Vega is considering aborting their second. Into town blow Harbour and Grant.
He is sober; they are now happy; they are also financially ahead of the game.
This is where the plot is introduced. Harbour wants to give White money to help out.
White wants it, but this rubs his face into his own failure. Rubin-Vega doesn't want the
money because it will threaten their strength together as a family. Grant doesn't want
her husband to part with the money because it will be a loss.
In the middle of this tussle the issues of talent - who has it and who doesn't - and
artistry raise their ugly heads. Old friendships get jammed up in the gears as past and
present collide. Unfortunately, this is where the author ends the play - before there is
any resolution.
People walked out mumbling, "Why don't we get to find out what happens?" "Hey -
that's not fair - we were just dumped." Sorry folks, but there wasn't time for any
more. The empty first act sucked it all up.
I say dump Act One, open with Act Two, and let's see where we go.
Just between us, there's a story in this play - somewhere.
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