Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’ stars Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles

He-said she-said drama says not so much

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

BROADWAY REVIEW

"I have no desire other than to help you," says university professor John to his distressed student Carol in the opening moments of "Oleanna."

Note how often Carol then says "I don't understand" during their unsatisfactory conference in his office regarding her failing grades.

He says. She says.

By the end of David Mamet's 80-minute drama, John's desire to enlighten has been misconstrued — or hideously distorted — by Carol into a beyond-academic crisis that not only ruins his career but may well land him in jail.

Of course, I summarize the play from a male point of view. Women may be more sympathetic to Carol's response to John's paternalistic attitude and language.

Or maybe not, since the argument that "Oleanna" presents looks awfully one-sided in the Broadway production that opened Sunday at the Golden Theatre.

Written during the time of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill sexual harassment controversy, Mamet's 1992 piece is intended to foment debate. In fact, this production offers post-show discussions with a rotating roster of panelists.

The problem is that both Mamet's typically elliptical text and director Doug Hughes' staging weight the play distinctly in John's favor. Portrayed as a preoccupied nice guy by a rumpled Bill Pullman, John might be patronizing but he's obviously no predator. The enigmatic character of Carol whose unexpected reactions drive John to disaster is depicted by Julia Stiles with a hard face and an increasingly nasty manner. Ironically, John becomes Carol's victim even as she claims he has violated her.

Expect no even-handed match on sexual politics but instead a surprisingly shallow study in every teacher's worst nightmare. As such, there's no debate here but simply a sort of horror show.

"Oleanna" continues an open-end run at the Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45th St., New York. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com.