April 25, 2018
The Lyons
Clinton Campbell READ TIME: 2 MIN.
In the early and mid-1990s, Nicky Silver was l'enfant terrible of the off and off-off Broadway world. His comedies managed to be emotionally raw while making the most unspeakable things hilarious. Shows like "Fat Men in Skirts," "Pterodactyls," "Raised in Captivity," and "The Food Chain" were some of the most talked about plays in New York at the time.
His 2012 play, "The Lyons" remains his only play to be produced on Broadway. Despite a Tony nominated turn by Linda Lavin, some would argue it is also his weakest, little more than an attempt to achieve more commercial success.
Titanic Theater Company's current production at the Boston Center for the Arts will do nothing to improve any detractor's opinion of the play. Poor direction and two-dimensional performances make this one of the more forgettable productions of the year in Boston.
Silver's plays are shocking because the characters do and say outrageous and socially unacceptable things with such utter conviction. The scenarios become absurd, but the conviction never falters. Silver's characters are driven by pain and disappointment. Everything is deadly serious to them. There is a rawness that is bursting to get out, but they somehow manage to contain it.
To pull this off, the actors must constantly push for emotional truth no matter how awful their words and actions may be. As soon as his shows are played for laughs, the humor is gone.
Aside from the amateurish staging, this is the deadly flaw of Josh Glenn-Kayden's production.
The emotions are broad brushed. There is no specificity of either action or motivation in any of the performances. Anyone that has seen a person on a morphine drip while cancer ravaged their body will know this within the first 5 minutes.
It's unfortunate. Silver is a unique and often overlooked playwright. Sadly, Boston audiences will have to wait for another production to experience the delight of his caustic humor.
"The Lyons" continues through May 5 at the BCA Plaza Theatres, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. For more information, visit the Titanic Theatre Company website.
