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TagsTV face Mark-Paul Gosselaar debuts Off Broadway opposite scene-stealers Julie White and Justin Kirk
BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
OFF BROADWAY REVIEW
Trying out an odd bit of comedy business during a rehearsal, an actor observes, "I am not above a laugh in Kafka."
Does that remark give you a chuckle? Do you enjoy shows about show business? If so, you're likely to be entertained by "The Understudy." Theresa Rebeck's new backstage comedy bowed on Thursday at the Steinberg Center and provides an amusing glimpse into today's acting profession.
An able though insufficiently employed artist, Harry (Justin Kirk) gets a job understudying Jake (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a leading man in a Franz Kafka revival on Broadway. During their first rehearsal, snotty, angst-riddled Harry repeatedly clashes with Jake, a stage newbie famed as an action movie hero.
Worse, the show's stage manager is Roxanne (Julie White), a former love Harry deserted practically at the altar six years earlier — and hasn't seen since. Roxanne is none too thrilled by their reunion either.
And so, nutty Harry, temperamental Jake and harassed Roxanne thrash out their emotional and artistic differences even as they struggle to rehearse their gloomy play. Meanwhile, a never-seen techie makes all the wrong settings materialize, creating surreal circumstances as their actor's nightmare increases.
That's all there is story-wise to this 90-minute comedy, which is otherwise a good-humored piece of stage-foolery filled with smart jokes about actors, egos, show biz and even Kafka. Known best for her cool Broadway thriller "Mauritius" (2007), Rebeck has a dozen plays to her credit and "The Understudy" reflects her sharp appreciation of the present-day agonies of making theater. (It's topical enough even to boast a gag about mercury poisoning.)
Expertly and smoothly staged by Scott Ellis with neat sets by Alexander Dodge, this Roundabout Theatre Company production is enlivened by especially bright performances.
Familiar from TV's "Saved by the Bell" and "Raising the Bar," Gosselaar makes a worthy Off Broadway debut as the newcomer actor simply by holding his own so handsomely against major scene-stealers like White and Kirk, who are both in top form. Kirk wryly embodies Harry as a twitching mess of resentment and anxiety. At times wickedly sarcastic and staccato as her highly-stressed Roxanne wobbles towards a meltdown, the endearing White easily shifts from brittle comedy into deeper emotions as warranted.
"The Understudy" is likely to be popular among regional stages in future seasons, but casting directors will be hard pressed to find other players so winning as this excellent threesome.
"The Understudy" continues through Jan. 3 at the Steinberg Center for Theatre, 111 W. 46th St., New York. Call (212) 719-1300 or visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.
