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New British play pursues a joyless story
BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
OFF BROADWAY REVIEW
You ever watch a play and although you might appreciate the able quality of the writing and the production, somehow the story refuses to grab you?
Such is my challenge in providing an assessment of "Happy Now?" which opened Tuesday at 59E59 Theaters.
Set in London, British author Lucinda Coxon's contemporary play centers upon Kitty, a smart woman in her later 30s with a successful white-collar career and a nice family. But as the two-act play progresses, it's quickly obvious the constant strain of keeping it all going is stressing her badly.
A preoccupied husband, a dying boss, a maddening mom and close chums whose marriage is on the rocks provide some of the troubles heaped on Kitty's shoulders. These and other pressures eventually push her into a hotel room with a cheerfully adulterous colleague.Long before Kitty realizes it herself, viewers are all too aware that her life is scarcely as fulfilling as she expected. By the time Kitty finally wakes up and smells the burnt coffee, some viewers — like me — may be fed up with the relentlessly sour nature of Coxon's downbeat story.
Of course, some people may identify with Kitty's many problems. Just don't expect her to do anything here to correct the situation. Oh, well, as the song goes, you can't always get what you want. In fact, that same song is heard at one point to underline — heavily — Kitty's predicament. Uh huh: We get it.
Liz Diamond directs the Primary Stages production at a steady pace upon a sleek setting designed by Narelle Sessons. Led by Mary Bacon's understandably peevish Kitty, a seven-member company capably enacts the play's many scenes from a joyless life.
"Happy Now?" continues through March 6 at 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St., New York. Call (212) 279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com.
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