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REVIEWS
Michael Dale - BroadwayWorld.com Monday, July 31, 2006
Duncan Pflaster is obviously a gutsy playwright. Really. If for no other reason than he calls his new play The Wastes of Time. It's like he's handing any disenchanted critic a title that can be easily twisted into a condemning bon mot. Served to the likes of Alexander Woollcott or Dorothy Parker such at title could have fertilized scathing one-liners that would have been quoted to this day. Fortunately, Pflaster avoids all that embarrassment by writing a good play. The name of this romantic comedy/drama comes from Shakespeare's Twelfth Sonnet, where all things of beauty eventually "amongst the wastes of time must go", only to be replaced by other loveliness. It's an appropriate title because the most attractive element of the piece is Pflaster's ability to have his three main characters speak with a natural, realistic elegance. There's sweetness in his words, especially when the trio indulge in self-revealing monologues about their desire to find love.
"AIDS, horrific though it is, was one of the main things that led to visibility for gay people in the media and government. You don't know what it was like for homos in the early 80's. Rock Hudson, Liberace, Pedro Zamora, Freddie Mercury - if they were still alive, would we all still be closeted and hidden?" So asks David (Andrew Rothkin), a conservative looking, button-downed fellow in his early thirties. His sad admission that beautiful gay men amongst the wastes of time had to go in order to be replaced by beautiful, uncloseted gay men may not be fully understood by his potential new boyfriend, the sci-fi-obsessed Jesse (Jess Cassidy White), who is ten years his junior. Although the age difference doesn't seem that extreme at first, Jesse's lack of first hand knowledge of the epidemic's more widespread days is presented as a cultural difference among gay men.
Jesse's divorced mom, Mary Ann (Susan Barnes Walker), who is ten years older than David, remembers her fun times in the years just before her friends started dying young. The real love of her life, though never completely consummated, was a now deceased gay man who would take her out dancing to disco hits. ("We were Will and Grace before Will and Grace.") The author effectively blends a cute story of an awkward couple feeling their way through the early stages of attraction, including "meeting the mom", with the threesome's conflicting attitudes in dealing with AIDS-related events that took place years ago.
Shawn McLaughlin plays a fourth, silent character called Dancer From The Dance (after Andrew Holleran's same-named 1978 novel), a handsome club boy from a less complicated time who changes the set (3 gold-painted chairs) while happily boogieing to 70's and 80's disco tunes. Eventually his relevance to the story becomes more apparent.
Director David Gautschy fluidly stages the multi-scene play and his appealing cast delivers some fine and sensitive character work. Rothkin is a nicely soft-spoken and reserved David who awkwardly forces himself into passionate outbursts. White is touching as a youthfully optimistic and intense Jesse and the chirpy-voiced Walker is quite funny while gradually revealing Mary Ann's sexually liberated history.
I attended the play's second public performance, and at this stage of development the piece seems a bit overwritten, especially in the time between the dramatic climax and the conclusion. But Pflaster's sympathetic characters, warm language and interesting takes on serious issues make The Wastes of Time a worthwhile engagement.
Backstage.com Review (Critic's Pick)
The Wastes of Time
July 27, 2006
By Jerry Portwood
It's uncommon these days for a gay-themed play to tackle the issues surrounding AIDS — both because it's a heavy, potentially unpopular subject and because it might seem irrelevant in an age of seemingly magical drug therapies that have extended many AIDS patients' lives. That's why it's such a pleasure to watch a play like The Wastes of Time that not only tackles the thorny subject but does it in a way that is relevant, insightful, and emotionally moving, without depending on nostalgia or maudlin gimmicks.
Duncan Pflaster's new play starts out simply enough: The Dancer (Shawn McLaughlin) takes a shimmering fabric off three folding chairs spray-painted gold and drapes it over a wall. He's dancing to a pop song by Erasure and sets the scene for 20-something Jesse (Jess Cassidy White, a dead ringer for a younger Eric McCormack); his mother, Mary Ann (Susan Barnes Walker); and David (Andrew Rothkin), a soon-to-be love interest who is 10 years his senior. They talk in wistful monologues of banal and philosophical things (Mary Ann says she dreams of a super supermarket with wonderful produce and mythical frozen foods), and all three actors manage to handle the intellectual language with a natural humor and ease.
The relationship between Jesse and David is tellingly awkward, but it's Walker's elegant portrayal of Mary Ann that anchors the production. She's fantastic as an eccentric yet grounded woman and mother, easily allowing us to believe she could accept her son's sexuality, having once been a bit of a sexual rebel herself before donning her housewifely apron. Her speech about a perfect platonic frat boy is particularly inspired.
The plot twist that's introduced near the end of the play comes as a surprise and serves appropriately to address the reactions of three generations to the AIDS crisis. Despite the complications faced by everyone in the play, the final scene is one of unapologetic celebration and joy.
America Oggi - Mario Fratti
Molto bella e ben costruita e THE WASTES OF TIME di Duncan Pflaster. Parte del Festival, alo stresso indirizzo. Abbiamo ammirato spesso l'attrice Susan Barnes Walker. E, al solito, perfetta; anche nel ruolo di Mary Ann, una madre che ama suo figlio ed accetta il fatto che sia omosessuale. E' premurosa, chiede rispettosamente dettagli, mostra quel che una vera madre dovrebbe sempre fare. Accettare e aiutare. Invita perfina il suo amante per una visita di presentazioni. Il ventenne Jesse (Jess Cassidy White) porta a casa il quarantenne David (Andrew Rothkin). Fiori, cortesia, domande sulle ragioni per cui maturi omosessuali preferiscono i giovani. C'e anche un danzatore (Shawn McLaughlin) che appare spesso come simbolo di sensibilita musicale. Sorpresa. Mary Ann ha l'impressione di conoscere David. Ebbene, vien rivelato che era l'amante del suo migliore amico Peter, morto di Aids, abbandonato da David. Lo caccia. E' un vigliacco, pronto a tradire e abbandonare . Altro dubbio. Mary Ann e andata a letto una volta con Pater. E' Jesse il figlio di Peter? Commedia bien costruita, ben scritta, interessante. Quattro ottimi attori, ben diretta da David Gautschy.
(Very beautiful and well constructed is “The Wastes of Time” of Duncan Pflaster. Part of the Festival, at the same address. We have admired frequently the actress Susan Barnes Walker. She is, as usual, perfect in the role of Mary Ann, a mother who loves her son and accepts the fact that he is an homosexual. She is considerate, asks respectably for details, showing what a true mother should always do. To accept and to listen. She even invites his lover for a presentation visit. Jesse (Jess Cassidy White) shows at the door of the house with the 40-year old David (Andrew Rothkin). Flowers, courtesy, she questions his reasons for preferring a mature homosexual over a younger one. There is also a dancer (Shawn McLaughlin) that appears often as a symbol of musical sensibility. Surprise. Mary Ann has the impression that she knows David. Later it is revealed that she was the lover of his best friend Peter, who died of AIDS, abandoned by David. The hunting. He is a coward, ready to betray and to abandon. Other doubt. Mary Ann went to bed once with Peter. Is Jesse Peter’s son? A well constructed comedy, well written, interesting. Four great actors, well directed by David Gautschy.)
From Bob Ost of TRUonline:
Almost as satisfying for far different reasons is the tender, compassionate The Wastes of Time by Duncan Pflaster who is truly too gentle a soul for this world of ours. Still, Pflaster has bravely etched three memorable characters and set them dancing emotionally against the backdrop of the gay disco scene and AIDS. Yes, this is an AIDS play, but one that handles the subject with disarming naturalness and perspective. Out and in his 20’s, Jess is weary of the shallowness of his peers and ripe for a relationship with the older and only sometimes wiser David, conservatively buttoned-down and harboring provocative though disturbing thoughts on the purpose of AIDS in our society. Jess Cassidy White is spirited and sweet as the young Jess, and commands attention in every moment he is on stage. But the richest, quirkiest and most complex acting is from Susan Barnes Walker as every gay boy’s dream mom, understanding and accepting to a fault; yet when her Flower Child breeding eventually cracks and gives way to rage and outrage, she is frightening and compelling. The deep dark secret that gradually comes out, that binds these three characters in unexpected ways, is actually a bit too pat and predictable. But I have no better ideas to offer Pflaster, so if a convenient plot device is what he needs to raise the stakes and generate drama, so be it. I cared about these people, deeply. And even more important, I recognized them.
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