Another op’nin, another World Premiere – that’s how they do it at the Belle of Long Branch, New Jersey Repertory Company. Julia Blauvelt’s The Two Hander features Ella Dershowitz and Jill Eikenberry, yes five time Emmy winner Eikenberry, under the expert direction of Artistic Director SuzAnne Barabas – and let’s just cut to the chase. Tickets, now, please. Get them. The show’s newly extended closing is May 19 and you MUST go see this show.
The space at NJ Rep is intimate, all the seats are closer-than-Broadway good. Here’s the link, I usually save for the end of the review. Use it now: https://njrep.org/show/the-two-hander/
Now that you’ve gotten your tickets, here’s what makes this show so very compelling. You’ve got not one, but TWO Master Classes going on. Ms. Eikenberry’s Diana gives us such a real portrait of the therapist you may wish yours was as she brooks no obfuscation and will always call you on yours. The play’s action encompasses a two year span and truly here be dragons, just like on the borders of maps of old. Diana is not only a therapist, she’s named after the Roman goddess of wild animals and the hunt. Isn’t a therapist always hunting for the truth in the savage wilds of the mind? Ms. Dershowitz’ Claire, the name comes from the French for “clear” or “bright”, initially presents with her light under a bushel. We see their patient/doctor relationship unfold like watching a flower bloom in time-lapse even as we see undercurrents of something else in both women. Julia Blauvelt has carefully crafted a spaceless and timeless tale in a very specific time and place and it will remain with you long after you leave the theatre.
SuzAnne Barabas’ vision combined with the brilliance of the actors, Jessica Parks’ moveable feast of a set, Jill Nagle’s lighting, Brian Snyder’s technical direction, Patricia Doherty’s costumes and Nick Simone’s sound design combine to create a subtle, visceral sense of the joy of discovery and the tragedy of decay within the inescapable cycle of both.
New Jersey Repertory Company’s house is intimate – plan ahead and get your tickets now. While the run has been extended to May 19, follow this link: https://njrep.org/show/the-two-hander/. Subscribe while you’re at it – there’s much more to come.