Throughout Jordan Seavey's new work "Children at Play," characters recite rapid fire memorized definitions of words they have learned in the course of their educational pursuits. These interjections provide emphasis and commentary on the action that is driving the scenes that surround them. With that said, the following definitions would be necessary in discussing this production:
"Innovation: 1) to introduce something new; make changes in anything established."
"Boldness: 1) not hesitating to break the rules of propriety. 2) beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative."
Set in an outer borough of New York City, the plot concerns itself with a group of "gifted" students tracing their way through junior high and high school - but if you think, at first glance, it sounds like fodder for an after-school special, you couldn't be further from the truth.
Morgan Nickelfleck Gladystone, is our unconventional leading lady. She and her posse of misfit friends are faced with a host of adolescent problems. Whether it be burgeoning sexuality, predatory teachers, sleeping with a sibling's boyfriend or nuclear fallout, they attempt to cope with efficiency and class. Like the halls of an inner city high school, their journey is filled with excitement, danger and numerous unexpected turns.
The cast as a whole is superb. Susan Louise O'Connor delivers a hilarious and poignant performance as the deliciously droll Morgan. Geoffrey Decas and Boo Killebrew are endlessly energetic and completely endearing as the heterosexually-challenged couple Lancelot and Lacey. John Halbach is given some of the most difficult material of the night, in which he plays both Martin Jr. and Martin Jr.'s lover, Maximilian... in the same scene. (It's Jekyll and Hyde gone gay - very gay - and very funny.) Drew Hirschfield and Rachel Craw are touching as the naive Jeremy and the radioactive Anna; while Jay Potter and Jennifer Dorr White fastidiously juggle multiple adult personas with excellent results.
That said, a great deal of credit goes to the material itself. As a playwright, Mr. Seavey has the uncanny ability to weave humor and horror together in a beautifully stylized and eerily intoxicating package. The students in "Children at Play" charm us with their chutzpa and pain us with their humanity. Mr. Seavey places his character's innards in front of his audience, so painfully exposed it can be hard to watch at times, but it's impossible to look away. We laugh with them and at them - while never losing sight of the truth and tragedy in their struggles. These students may have the ability to quickly regurgitate facts and definitions on cue but they long for the guidance and true, meaningful, practical education that is not being provided to them by their parents and teachers. The play delivers a brilliant commentary on how formulaic schools and passive parenting are failing America's youth.
Director Scott Ebersold provides a sleek and seamless flow to the evening. He guides his expert ensemble of actors through the treacherous territory that lies between satire and spoof and drama and melodrama. David Newell's set design plays into the strengths of the theatre space itself with an aseptic institutional aesthetic and he's beautifully supported by Nikki Moody's costumes, Scott Bolman's lights and Daniel Kuger and Brandon Wolcott's sound design.
This was not the first show I have seen by CollaborationTown, the non-profit theatre organization producing "Children at Play," and it most certainly will not be the last. Run by Mr. Seavey, Mr. Decas and Mr. TJ Witham, their work continues to be fresh and exciting. With this stellar production of "Children at Play," they have once again proven that they are, and will continue to be, the very definition of boldness and innovation.
CHILDREN AT PLAY runs October 29 - November 21, Thursday - Saturday at 8pm. Note: no show Saturday, October 31 and an added show Wednesday, November 18 at 8pm. The Living Theatre is located at 21 Clinton Street (between Houston & Stanton Streets, accessible from the F train at 2nd Ave). Tickets are $18, available by calling 212-352-3101.
