Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

The PTP/NYC (Potomac Theatre Project)'s wonderful production of David Rabe's intense and topical A Question of Mercy rarely hits a wrong note.  Jim Petosa's excellent direction makes simple, clear use of the Atlantic Stage 2 space (featuring Eleanor Kahn’s elegant furniture design) and draws electrifying performances out of the talented cast.

Anthony (Tim Spears) is dying of AIDS.  He and his partner Thomas (Alex Cranmer) call upon Dr. Chapman (Paula Langton) to help Anthony die and end his suffering.  Based on the real life journal of Dr. Richard Selzer, A Question of Mercy presents a controversial topic with gravitas, warmth, and even a touch of humor.

Paula Langton imbues the complicated character of Dr. Chapman with both an off-putting brusqueness and a hidden compassion, making her character difficult to read at first. Langton is up to this high challenge, however. As Dr. Chapman, originally written for and played by a man, immerses herself in Thomas and Anthony's lives and the consequences of their request, her internal dilemma becoming more palpable and her character more understandable.

As Anthony, Spears is marvelously devastating.  It’s difficult to take one’s eyes off of his physicality as he deals with his deteriorating condition.  While heartbreaking to watch, one never feels as though one is intruding; it’s as though Spears welcomes everyone to be a part of his experience. Cranmer gives a beautifully nuanced performance as Thomas. In the same scene he is holding in his emotions, making light of something trivial, and then cracking and exploding under the weight of what he has to deal with.  Mathew Nakitare and Martha Newman nicely round out the cast as the doorman and the devoted friend respectively. 

One of Rabe's lesser-known plays, A Question of Mercy, a heavy two-and-a-half hour look at death and dying presented by PTC/NYC, is worth the weight.