McCarter Theatre Complex’s Berlind Theatre, in Princeton, New Jersey, is the home for the World Premiere of Rachel Bonds’ “Goodnight Nobody”. This play hits close to heart and home and even the atmosphere explores the value of connection.
The lights come up on a beautiful sylvan retreat. And what’s that? MMMMM, the best wakeup call in the world—the smell of bacon! It is a rustic farmhouse and, when the light gently breaks, we see a handsome young artist, Nan (Saamer Usmani), working in the middle of the floor on an impromptu chiaroscuro drawing. Reinforcing his laser-focused concentration, he hardly hears the bedroom door open. Mara (Dana Delaney) has the morning-after languidness of a satisfied cougar and awakening to breakfast is truly a valentine. It is hot summer, in upstate New York, and far away from the madding crowds: a perfect getaway for two.
Next thing we know, it is winter, same place. Three young people, one of whom is Nan, tumble through the door with their traveling stuff for a reunion weekend. Reggie (Nate Miller) has invited his friends Nan and K (Ariel Woodiwiss) to his mother’s cabin to relive their younger days. Mara may even show up with her new guy, Bo (Ken Marks). You may raise your eyebrows here as it becomes apparent by Nan’s face that every part of what Reggie has just said is a surprise. Equally apparent is that Reggie has no clue about the tryst between Nan and Mara. Add K, as a lactating new mother herself, and you’ve got all the ingredients that make life such a messy puzzle.
Playwright Bonds gives us the verisimilitude of conversation–the full measure of what it’s like to be in the louche afterglow of an amazing carnal experience, the instant uptake of finding one’s place with one’s friends of long standing, as you click into place together, and the crushing reality of the world falling in, at the instant when it is supposed to be exploding with love. Kimie Nishikawa’s set is a diorama that is a living breathing character of its own, which is augmented by Jen Schriever’s lighting design. Usmani’s Nan is other worldly, part of the faerie realm himself as the Perfect Man–handsome and accomplished. As he reads the auras of the others around the bonfire, you’ll ask yourself whether he’s a seer or something else. Miller’s Reggie is tortured, love-starved, and something mysterious nibbles at his soul. K’s longings take many forms and she has what may be the most perfect monologue ever, as her end is her beginning, and holds the world within, upside down, as we see it in a pendant drop of water. This show is must-see, intimate perfection. Do it now.
Tempus fugit: the show closes February 9, so reserve NOW. Contact the box office at www.McCarter.org or via telephone at 609/258-ARTS (2787).