{"id":52540,"date":"2017-04-26T10:20:39","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T14:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/a-queer-conman-disrupts-social-boundaries-in-tame-revival-of-six-degrees-of-separation-review\/"},"modified":"2017-04-26T10:20:39","modified_gmt":"2017-04-26T14:20:39","slug":"a-queer-conman-disrupts-social-boundaries-in-tame-revival-of-six-degrees-of-separation-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/a-queer-conman-disrupts-social-boundaries-in-tame-revival-of-six-degrees-of-separation-review\/","title":{"rendered":"A Queer Conman Disrupts Social Boundaries in Tame Revival of \u2018Six Degrees of Separation\u2019 \u2013 REVIEW"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Queer Conman Disrupts Social Boundaries in Tame Revival of \u2018Six Degrees of Separation\u2019 \u2013 REVIEW<\/b><\/p>\n

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By the time a naked<\/a> hustler tumbles onto the stage of the Barrymore Theatre, where a stylish but tame revival of John Guare\u2019s <\/span>Six Degrees of Separation<\/span><\/i> opened last night, the man<\/a> who snuck him into a couple<\/a>\u2019s posh Manhattan apartment ought to seem like a seductive and menacing sort of mystery. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rewind some minutes, and recounting that fateful night with smooth, quick wit are the Kittredges: Ouisa (Allison Janney, in command of the whole show) and Flan (John Benjamin Hickey, somehow perfectly ruffled and buttoned-up). They\u2019re independent art dealers in the midst of courting an investor for $2 million \u2014 so the stakes are relatively high when Paul, a young Black man<\/a> bleeding from his belly, bursts in claiming he\u2019s been mugged and is a friend of their kids\u2019 from Harvard.<\/p>\n

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When he also says he\u2019s the son of Sidney Poitier \u2014 and that his venerable dad is directing a movie version of <\/span>Cats<\/span><\/i> (!) in which he might snag them walk-on roles \u2014 he has the room eating from the palm of his hand; before long, they\u2019re savoring the gourmet dinner he whipped up in their kitchen and\u00a0soaking up\u00a0his circular musings on <\/span>Catcher in the Rye, <\/span><\/i>too. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a feat for a charming, magnetic conman (such as <\/span>the real one who partly inspired Guare\u2019s 1990 play<\/span><\/a>), but here the conceit is less than wholly convincing. Corey Hawkins, who broke out on screen in <\/span>Straight Outta Compton<\/span><\/i> and stars on Fox\u2019s <\/span>24: Legacy<\/span><\/i>, chatters through the con\u00a0with a casual, flat sort of cheer, hardly slowing to allow his words or the circumstances a chance to breathe and fan out. (More persuasive is\u00a0the brief flashback to a time before the act.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Kittredges in director Trip Cullman\u2019s droll, slick production don\u2019t need much convincing to take in a stranger, who seems perfectly nice, if not altogether captivating, in\u00a0their own recollection of events. But when it becomes clear that \u201cPaul\u201d duped them, and others in their circle, they set out to discover how, and why, he did it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The how would certainly be less of a mystery any time in the past 10 years (Google, duh), though it was certainly a more dramatic question in the far less connected world of 1990, when this production is squarely set (see Clint Ramos\u2019 John Hughes-inspired costumes on the growly college kids for definitive proof). Why he did it, though, hasn\u2019t changed at all, and is still what makes Guare\u2019s drama so probing and provocative.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There are two sides to every story, a truth beautifully illustrated by the double-faced Kandinsky suspended over Mark Wendland\u2019s red, abstracted set. <\/span><\/p>\n

Marginalized by his sexuality, race, and most especially his means, Paul perfects the tools he needs to experience how the other half lives \u2014 how to dress and behave, how to talk and what about, and most importantly, what other people need to hear. Realizing that Paul coveted\u00a0the life in which she feels so stuck, Ouisa\u00a0is compelled\u00a0by the\u00a0intrinsic nature of human connection and the idea of six degrees of separation (one first set out in the early 20th century, and <\/span>popularized by this play<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

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We may not find the concept of interconnectedness as astonishing as it once was, for reasons obvious to anyone reading this on their device of choice. But in the online whir of everyday life, it\u2019s easy to assume we know who people are, and overlook the most essential parts of them, even as they stand all around us. Just ask anyone staring into their glowing screen at intermission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent theatre features\u2026
\u2018Anastasia\u2019 the Musical Might Just Make a Princess Out of You Yet: REVIEW<\/a>
Broadway\u2019s \u2018Charlie and the Chocolate Factory\u2019 Musical Is Safe for Diabetics: REVIEW<\/a>
Bette Midler Is Back on Broadway in \u2018Hello, Dolly!\u2019 and You Probably Can\u2019t Handle It: REVIEW<\/a>
Cynthia Nixon and Laura Linney Tear It Up in Handsome Revival of \u2018The Little Foxes\u2019: REVIEW<\/a>
A Kiss Between Women Ignites Scandal in Stunning New Play \u2018Indecent\u2019: REVIEW<\/a>
In \u2018Groundhog Day\u2019 Musical, Not Every Day Is Worth Reliving: REVIEW<\/a>
Harvey Fierstein Imparts Bittersweet Gay History in \u2018Gently Down the Stream\u2019 \u2013 REVIEW<\/a>
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Follow Naveen Kumar on Twitter: @Mr_NaveenKumar<\/a>\u00a0(photos: joan marcus)<\/em><\/p>\n

The post A Queer Conman Disrupts Social Boundaries in Tame Revival of \u2018Six Degrees of Separation\u2019 \u2013 REVIEW<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A Queer Conman Disrupts Social Boundaries in Tame Revival of \u2018Six Degrees of Separation\u2019 – REVIEW<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n