Lucas Hnath

Poolside play with deep issues

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By John Lyle Belden

“Here is a man…”

In the opening scene of “Red Speedo,” a new drama by Lucas Hnath presented by American Lives Theatre, Peter (Alex Oberheide) is extolling the virtues of his brother Roy (Cody Miley), an Olympic-level competitive swimmer to his Coach (Drew Vidal). Peter, who is also a lawyer, has endeavored in addition to represent Roy as his agent – including working out an endorsement deal with Speedo, the famous global swimwear brand.

Our star athlete who (in this narrative) out-swam Michael Phelps in a club event and made headlines by taking a year on a “spiritual journey” to the desert, is overjoyed at his success while anxious about the Olympic trials that weekend. One moment he doubts, the next he explains the sea-serpent tattoo on his back leaves no doubt which swimmer people are watching. He also wants part of the design’s tail that would be under the suit etched across the leg of his special-edition red Speedo.

However, there is an issue: Performance-enhancing substances have been found in the Club locker room. While a fellow swimmer is implicated, Peter knows that suspicion could fall on everyone, Roy in particular.

Events are further complicated with visits by Roy’s ex-girlfriend Lydia (Paige Elsse), who lost her license as a sports therapist for an unrelated drug-misuse case – an event when Roy and especially Peter were not helpful.

“I wanna be a real person,” Roy laments at one point. But that is not to be. He is a swimming machine with no other skills and an education hindered by spending every spare moment at the pool, putting it all on the line with the singular goal of Olympic medals and the marketing riches that follow. A dancer with Dance Kaleidoscope, Miley does well as an actor in a role requiring a lot of speaking and emoting – his other skillset only displayed by his mostly-visible well-toned body. It’s hard to portray one who may not have quite the wisdom or intellect of those around them without devolving into stereotype, and Miley manages this with minimal “dumb jock” vibes. His odd life carries real consequences, as we witness his struggle for some sort of “normal” he can live with.

Oberheide nimbly portrays a man of noble intentions but slippery morals, swiftly finding his plans on the edge of collapse just as he (and Roy) are about to make it big. Vidal’s Coach is a bit more principled but finds himself tested as well – especially when his own future is on the line. Elisse’s Lydia is the good person who justifies doing bad things for those who she loves, including an interesting twist on two wrongs maybe making a right.

ALT founder Chris Saunders directs, giving us a thought-provoking examination of ethics and human behavior that happens to involve a swimming pool. Speaking of which, a real water-filled pool is set up at the front edge of the Russell Theatre main stage in the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre (set design by Matt Mott). It mostly provides the appropriate setting atmosphere, though does feature in a couple of important moments. As Saunders reassured us, there is no “splash zone” for audience members to be concerned about.

Shout-out as well to artist Phoenix Woods for Roy’s “ink.”

“Red Speedo” runs through Feb. 16 at the Phoenix, 705 N. Illinois St. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org, info at americanlivestheatre.org.

IRT: Homecoming brings hard questions in stand-alone ‘sequel’

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By John Lyle Belden

Regarding “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” I must first note – as others have – that you absolutely do not have to have seen or read the original Henrik Ibsen play to appreciate this follow-up by American Lucas Hnath. I read it in college, and about all I remember about it is the essential fact that Nora feels her life is too suffocating to bear any longer, and at the end of the play she boldly exits through the front door to go live her own life.

That’s about all you need to know, and that in doing so she also abandoned her husband, Torvald, and their children – an ending nearly as shocking now as it was in 1879. These facts are thoroughly reviewed in the scenes of “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” the Broadway hit now on the main stage of the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

It is 15 years later (1894) and there is a knock at the front door of Torvald Helmer’s house. The housekeeper, Anne Marie (Kim Staunton), answers to find it is Nora (Tracy Michelle Arnold), who has lived a full and successful life in the intervening years. But suddenly Nora has the need to take care of unfinished business with Torvald (Nathan Hosner). Amid a whirlwind of emotion, he tells her the resolution of their business will not be so easy. Nora then turns to Emmy (Becca Brown), the daughter she hardly knows, who has her own feelings regarding women’s independence, as well as the reasons why no one will end this visit unscathed.

Needless to say, this is some intense drama, but punctuated with moments of situational humor. Hnath’s play also connects to us through the use of contemporary speech (appropriate, considering that to be “authentic” everything would have been said in Norwegian). Director James Still said that at various points the dialogue read like a lecture, so, often the actors would seem to speak directly to the audience. To aid this, the stage front appears to thrust forward towards the seats.

Thus do Nora, Torvald, Emmy and Anne Marie bridge the 125-year gap to show us the issues of gender and family they struggled with then, which are still not perfectly resolved now. What Nora could do as a single woman, contrasted with being married, reminds me of how it wasn’t that long ago that American women couldn’t open credit card accounts without their husbands’ signatures. And what a better future could be differs for each person – Nora ecstatically desires a 20th century where marriage is abolished; Emmy, preparing her own wedding, greets that notion with horror. And Torvald gives his side of the story, providing even more rich food for thought.

Performances are solid, from Hosner’s overwhelmed gentleman to Brown’s confident air, to the ever-shifting facade Arnold puts forward as events unfold. Staunton is the proud patience-wearing-thin mother figure, just wanting things to resolve as well as possible.

Don’t let the title dissuade you; this is no mere sequel. Performances run through April 7 at the IRT, 140 W. Washington St. in downtown Indianapolis (near Circle Centre). Call 317-635-5252 or visit irtlive.com.