Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

Dorothy Parker had a quick wit, a sharp tongue, and an acid pen, and her writing is reverently celebrated in Dorothy Parker: Men!, a showcase presented by Lida McGirr (who also directed) and Caitlin McEwan. Each woman represents Parker at different periods in her life, as well as characters drawn from her short stories. The cast is rounded out by George Pappas and Andy Junk, playing various suitors and husbands, as the stories demand, and Maureen Kenny, who moves the proceedings along as a maid, as well as various incidental characters and voices.

The reverence for Parker’s words is clear from the outset, as the evening begins with recitals of various poems and segments of book and play reviews (including a scathing takedown of Winnie the Pooh, of all things). While individually witty, these smaller pieces are presented with very little context, and pile into one another, making it difficult to tell when one ends and another begins. Clearly, McGirr and McEwan relish Parker’s scathing (and often self-deprecating) wit, but this prologue would have been well served by some judicious cuts, so as to better appreciate the gems that remain.

From there, the showcase moves into more traditional territory, with several short stories and monologues adapted for the stage. First up is “You Were Perfectly Fine,” a morning-after discussion in which Pappas (as the Foggy-Headed Guy) wonders exactly what his hangover is concealing from last night’s events, while McGirr (as the Starry-Eyed Gal) tries to allay his fears, all the while letting slip detail after horrifying detail. The extended scene brought welcome focus to the proceedings, and if it remained clear that the dialogue was written to be read, not performed, the actors gave it a game effort, with Pappas exhibiting particularly believable hung-over horror.

The central portions of the night were the most successful. In “A Telephone Call,” McEwan stalked around an unringing phone, alternately in hope that her suitor would call, and despair that he wouldn’t. Mirroring this was a monologue by McGirr called “The Waltz,” in which she dances with an invisible gent with two unpredictable left feet. Here, each actor brought Parker’s pieces to charming, sympathetic life, delivering a contrast in romantic problems: Why Isn’t He Here versus When Will He Go Away“

But the highlight of the night was the showcase’s centerpiece, “Here We Are,” in which a nervous new bride (McEwan) fends off an awkward husband who’s suddenly realizing he’s gotten more than he bargained for (Junk). Here, the dialogue sparkles, and the wit travels in both directions. The newlyweds are scared and excited about the night to come, and neither is sure how, or if, to tell the other. The final story, “Too Bad,” centered on the opposite problem: McGirr and Pappas portray a longtime couple who know what they want to say, but years of inertia keep them from speaking up. The scene climaxes in a moment of inarticulate communication, raw and unvarnished—the ultimate expression of frustration from a woman celebrated for her precision of language.