December 4, 2008
'Three Changes' isn't Dylan McDermott at his off-Broadway best
Dylan McDermott needs to be a lot more careful when it comes to choosing roles in Off-Broadway dramas. Two years ago, he headlined "The Treatment," a terrible Eve Ensler play where he played a soldier who turns into a wild, disoriented guy after Iraq.
Now, he's playing an investment banker who also turns into a wild, disoriented guy by Act Two. Unfortunately, his new play isn't too great either.
Playwright Nicky Silver gained raves in the mid-90s for unorthodox plays like "Pterodactyls" and "Raised in Captivity." But his new family drama "Three Changes," now receiving its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons, is completely devoid of focus, originality or critical thought.
The play begins with Nate (McDermott) and Laurel (Maura Tierney) as a comfortably married Upper West Side couple. Life is tense and awkward: he is cheating on her and she is depressed after experiencing three miscarriages. However, life gets far worse when Nate's older brother Hal (Brian J. Smith), formerly a Hollywood screenwriter, moves into the living room.
Things get even weirder when Hal invites Gordon (Aya Cash), a well-bred but menacing runaway, to live there too as his lover. The cards are then turned on Nate. He is threatened and assaulted by his brother, loses his job, learns that his wife is aware of his infidelity and essentially becomes an all-round depressed person. Can you guess what his next step is? Once that occurs, the play ends in a mechanically absurdist manner.
There's nothing wrong with taking a dark look at family life. But unlike the better works of Harold Pinter or Edward Albee, there is no reason for us to engage in the power struggle found in "Three Changes." And in Silver's most desperate move of all, he forces his characters to directly address the audience. Why did this bad soap opera need to have flashbacks?
Maura Tierney authentically conveys her character's sad, lonely emptiness. McDermott, unfortunately, appears ridiculous in his breakdown scenes. Better luck next time.
Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42nd St, 212-279-4200
$15-65. Tues-Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm, Sun 2 & 7pm. Thru Oct 3.
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