REVIEW: 'Tribes' studies communication

A deaf son confronts his noisy British family in Nina Raine’s new drama

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

OFF BROADWAY REVIEW

An absorbing new drama about a young, deaf man dealing with his noisy family -- all of whom hear but none of whom really listen to anybody – “Tribes” premiered on Sunday at the Barrow Street Theatre.

A critical success in London, Nina Raine’s new play benefits here from an intimate, beautifully performed production that is sensitively staged by David Cromer, whose notable revival of “Our Town” ran for 18 months at the Barrow Street Theatre.

The 199-seat space has been arranged into a cozy arena where the British tribe in question argues and talks over each other around a long dining room table.

The relatively quiet one among this bickering bunch is Billy, who was born deaf and learned to read lips and speak because his parents felt that teaching Billy sign language could reduce him to a second-class being who would limit his life strictly to the deaf community.

Then Billy meets and falls in love with Sylvia, a woman who gradually is losing her hearing. While Billy’s obstreperous relatives welcome Sylvia into their self-involved midst, her loving influence causes Billy to seriously question the way he was reared, which drives a wedge with his family.

Later developments involving Billy’s employment as a lip-reading expert for the police and the mental disintegration of his brother Daniel – who hears voices in his head – are not as compelling as the main story, but Raine’s characters are depicted believably as multi-layered people. Nobody is a saint and everybody suffers their frustrations.

Although some of the two-act play is overwritten, with too many obvious remarks about “feelings you cannot put into words” and “language is worthless,” Raine provides a thoughtful, at times provocative, study in communication and understanding.

Portions of the dialogue are expressively signed rather than spoken – with projected titles – and should occasional passages escape the audience, such fleeting losses serve to signify the play’s themes. The staging and Daniel Kluger’s sound design craftily reinforce the issue. Designer Scott Pask furnishes the stage with many homey details while Keith Parham’s lighting warms the room.

A rising director already known for sparking exceptional acting in memorable shows like the musical “Adding Machine” and the sadly short-lived “Brighton Beach Memoirs” revival on Broadway, Cromer obtains characteristically rich performances for “Tribes.”

Low-keyed yet vital, Russell Harvard gives a disarmingly friendly portrayal of Billy. Susan Pourfar shades Sylvia’s upbeat nature with increasing grief over losing her hearing. A disheveled Jeff Perry blusters away as the argumentative head of the bohemian clan, with Mare Cunningham as his conciliatory wife, Gayle Rankin as their sour daughter and Will Brill as their disintegrating elder son. Such fine ensemble acting gives wonderful life to “Tribes,” which is a drama well worth hearing in more ways than one.

“Tribes” continues an open-end run at the Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow St., New York. Call (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com.