Time Stands Still

Time Stands Still

Court Theater

Monday, October 4, 2010

Reviewed By Carlos

Attended show with Chuck McTague

After a windy rainy day of helping a friend move, it was a nice treat to get a couple of unused tickets to see a show. It was with breakneck speed that Chuck and I made our way from 134th Street and Riverside Drive back to his APT in Hell's Kitchen, then to the theater, with 5 min to spare till curtain. I was not familiar with this show but I did know that it went on a summer hiatus and that the role of Mandy Bloom was played originally by Alicia Silverstone. I was excited to see Laura Linney in a Broadway Show finally, after missing her performance in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

After a summer rest, Laura Linney resumes her role as Sarah Goodwin, Brian D'Arcy James as James Dodd, Eric Bogosian as Richard Ehrlich and Christina Ricci as Mandy Bloom. With the change out of Ms. Sliverstone for Ms. Ricci , the production seem to have missed no time at all.

The plot is simple yet elegant, "James and Sarah, a journalist and a photographer, have been together for nine years and share a passion for documenting the realities of war. But when injuries force them to return home to New York, the adventurous couple confronts the prospect of a more conventional life". Ok that's the easy way to explain the plot of this moving play, but a little more to the story is this:

James having already been stateside heads to Germany to bring Sarah home after a roadside bomb takes the life of her guide and translator, the bomb also has an enormous effect on her psyche as well. As the couple try and begin to pull the pieces together and regain a sense of normality they are descended upon by their friend and editor Richard Ehrlich played by the multi talented Eric Bogosian, and his new girlfriend/fiance Mandy Bloom played by the pixie like Christina Ricci. Mandy a dewy eyed event planner has a vague idea of what kind of work Sarah and James do, but can't seem to grasp the real horrors of war and the world. In a very thought provoking exchange of words, Mandy is looking at pictures that Sarah had been taking prior to the bomb going off and sees a picture of a little boy clearly wounded and or possibly dead, Mandy wondered why Sarah didn't put the camera down and help the boy, she is visibly shaken and felt that Sarah was cold and heartless. Sarah states that she takes the pictures she doesn't stage them, it is real life you can't fix it or make it better. Another stirring moment comes mid way through the show and once again Sarah has to defend the realities of war and that there is nothing one can really do about the injustice in the world, other than showing the world the injustices through her pictures.

By the end of the first act James finally corners Sarah and asks her to marry him, whether she really means it or not she says yes and the two decide to stay in the city and have a more normal life. But as the audience soon begins to realize this type of life is not for Sarah she needs the rush of being out in the field and James is ready to begin a family and thus begins the disintegration of their relationship. In a finally bitter sweet moment Richard and Mandy married now and just having a baby come to say their goodbyes to Sarah as she packs and heads off back to Afghanistan. James and Sarah finally come to terms with themselves and each others.

One of the reasons I love and have passion for theater, is that when you have a great script and a cast of actors that are truly talented any story or premise is possible. My hats off to this superb cast and thank you for a great night at the theater. One little note would be for a first time out on the Great White Way, Christina Ricci did a decent job, I did feel like she was holding back a little bit, and that there was something she was trying to do with character but I couldn't figure it out. I would have liked to have seen Alicia Silverstone I am curious as to how she approached Mandy Bloom.

So Time Stands Still, Versatile in a serious grad school hottie Williamsberg douchebag sort of way.