Photo by Joan Marcus
The Manhattan Theatre Club's latest Broadway offering is living proof that you don't need an army of lavish sets, costumes and props to end up with a hit on the Great White Way. The recipe of success for Heisenberg - our #ShowOfTheWeek - is to take a well-crafted script by Tony-winning playwright Simon Stephens, add two gifted actors, and mix well with two chairs, two tables and a pillow... and voila!
The dialogue in Heisenberg struck me as wonderfully human and outlandishly extraordinary at the same time - no easy feat for a playwright to pull off. The coupling of an eccentric figure in Georgie, who defies social norms, and an older and reassuring figure in Alex works from the moment we first meet them (and they each other). Stephens writes about human connection in a way that instantly hooks us and our curiosity is sparked by this unlikely pairing. The obvious age difference provides a factor of intrigue at the beginning, but interestingly becomes irrelevant by the end of the piece. We have gotten to know Alex and George intimately over the course of 85 minutes to the point where all superficial standards are out of the window. What may seem to be a highly unlikely narrative on paper becomes utterly plausible through Stephens' skill as a playwright.
Click HERE to read our interview with Simon Stephens.
Of course, words can only take us so far, and I commend the two actors who bring them to life so captivatingly. Both Mary-Louise Parker and Denis Arndt give knockout performances with undeniable stage chemistry. Parker's quirky, infuriating and yet endearing Georgie propels the story along, whilst Arndt constantly draws your eye as you see him listening intently to her every word. You can see the cogs going around in his head as he tries to figure out his restless counterpart - and he breaks your heart as he breaks down and bares his soul.
The play originally premiered off-Broadway in 2015 at the intimate setting of New York City Center's Stage II. Fortunately the Broadway transfer has not jeopardised that feeling of intimacy, reducing the acting space on the stage by having audience members sat on raised seating behind the actors. Sometimes as a theatregoer you just want to sit in amazement at the grand scale of production values Broadway can throw at you. Other times, you just yearn to see real human connection that grips you tightly and has you firmly rooting for its players. If you are in the mood for the latter, Heisenberg will be right up your street.
Click here for tickets to Heisenberg, which is booking through to December 11th, 2016 at Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
Denis Arndt & Mary-Louise Parker in Heisenberg More Production PhotosOriginally published on