Placebo

"Placebo" in Latin means to please. At Playwrights Horizons the play "Placebo" by Melissa James Gibson, delves much further into the Latin meaning, exploring the witty distinction between failure to please due to a lack of desire, and the desire not to fail at pleasing. The audience is taken on a journey with Louise (Carrie Coon) as she investigates this motif in her own life, as well as others.

Though there are only four characters in the play, there are at least three rotating stories, all related in some way to Louise. Each story contributes to her research of the human psyche in an attempt to understand what motivates individuals to succeed in their relationships and their work.

The play is well-constructed, and the dialogue is clever. The conversations that occur are so highbrow they almost transcend believability, but the characters are all established intellectuals, and thus we are treated to intricately comical banter that does not come across as forced. It's the kind of show you may have to see a couple of times to catch everything-that and getting a doctoral degree in Classics.

Louise's boyfriend Jonathan (William Jackson Harper) is particularly charming, though he becomes somewhat of an antagonist. His banter is sharp, and there is something whimsical in his complacency that is alarmingly relatable. Carrie Coon navigates this well, and however odd, she is easy to side with. Their onstage chemistry is genuine, and as we are laughing with the couple in the beginning, we are clenching our teeth, tearing up, and scraping our palms with them in the end. Spoiler alert, it's no fairytale finale.

The way Mary (Florencia Lozano) and Tom's (Alex Hurt) stories are woven into Louise's journey is necessary, but at times questionable. Mary's opening monologue sets the scene and the play, but seems altogether out of place. The rest of the play is so smart that this introductory monologue comes off as pedantic and redundant. Tom's initial scene feels the same; it was more about setting up the action to follow than actually propelling the story forward. Those preparatory scenes could be cut, and the play would be tighter without sacrificing any of the narrative.

The set is pliable, an all-purpose, apartment staff lounge doctor's office hybrid. At first it's jarring, uncomfortable, modern in an overwrought sort of way, but then it grows on you. The lights change and suddenly you are transported from one realm to another. The doctor's sink becomes the kitchen sink, and the audience is lifted from a day at the office to a late night at home. The actors gracefully shift between worlds, and after becoming accustomed to the directorial style, so does the audience. In retrospect it's one of the most thrilling factors of the play.

In "Placebo" Gibson eloquently takes us on a very human journey. The moments are raw and realistic -- it feels less like a play and more like a quiet glimpse into one individual's bizarrely unique life. Her circumstances become our own, as we feel a part of her most private moments: her grief, her ecstasy, and her failures.

The play is funny and sad and moving. Coon is quirky and relatable. If you're looking for something to shake you from your mundane existence, "Placebo" will awaken you. It will challenge you to confront your success as well as your failures, and ask yourself who it is you're working for.

"Placebo" runs through April 5 at Playwrights Horizon, 416 W 42nd St. in New York. For information or tickets, call 212-564-1235 or visit [email protected]