JOCELYN NOVECK
AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — If you decide to go see “Too Much Sun,” the new play by Nicky Silver, make sure you get there on time. If not, you risk missing the spectacle of a grand actress falling apart at the seams, before your very eyes.
We don’t mean Linda Lavin, of course. Lavin can do no wrong. We mean the character that Lavin plays, an imperious thespian named Audrey Langham, who, flamboyantly costumed to play “Medea,” decides at the inopportune moment of final tech rehearsal to go nuts — rambling unhappily onstage about everything from her lines to her director to that assistant who brought her the wrong kind of tea to her costume: “What the hell am I wearing!? Am I waiting for the Mardi Gras parade to pass?”
And then she storms off, never to return.
It’s a fabulous scene, funny and biting and sad, too. It reminds you not just how terrific Lavin is, but also how well Silver writes for this particular actress, who starred in his “The Lyons,” earning a Tony nomination as a memorably sharp-tongued Jewish mother.
Unfortunately, “Too Much Sun,” which opened Sunday night off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theater, doesn’t seem destined for the success of “The Lyons.” This new play, which never lives up to its opening scene, is simply too unwieldy, too lacking in either heft or coherence, to sustain our attention. And while Lavin is indeed terrific, whenever she leaves the stage, the energy flags.
Let’s credit Silver for one thing, though: He sure knows how to write Jewish mothers. And not the stereotypical kind who live through their children, their amazing fabulous brilliant children! No, Silver’s Jewish mothers are, refreshingly, less interested in their children’s needs — what was your name, anyway, honey? — and more on their own.
And so when Langham storms off that “Medea” stage in Chicago and makes her way to the Cape Cod home of her daughter, Kitty (an excellent Jennifer Westfeldt), it’s not because she loves Kitty or misses her. Audrey just needs a place to stay, to recoup, to figure out her next step.
Which will probably be another marriage. Audrey, we learn, has gotten through life depending on the kindness of husbands. And so much of the play will focus on her efforts to lasso in Winston, the rich, handsome guy next door. All the while, Kitty will be wondering how long she’ll have to put up with Mom. And Kitty’s self-centered husband, Dennis, wants to know when he can get the spare room back — it’s his office, and he’s trying to write a novel.
Other characters include Gil, a frustrated, nervous assistant to Audrey’s agent, and Lucas, the pothead son of Winston. These characters each have their own issues — major issues — but frankly, they’re just not that compelling compared to the monumental needs of Lavin’s Audrey.
Lavin is certainly worth the price of admission. She’s so good at nailing the rhythm and feel of Silver’s pointed one-liners, she could whisper them, maybe even mouth them, and they’d still be funny. It’s just too bad that all the “Sun” in “Too Much Sun” comes from its one central star. It’s a lot, but ultimately not enough.
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Online: http://www.vineyardtheatre.org/too-much-sun
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