'Oleanna' harasses the audience

Controversy follows David Mamet's "Oleanna" wherever it goes. Ever since its premiere in 1992, this violent verbal showdown between two characters has elicited strong reactions from audiences of both sexes. Unfortunately, my response is immense disappointment.

"Oleanna," its title an allusion to a failed Norwegian utopia in 1850s Pennsylvania, presents Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman in the opposing roles of student and professor and takes place entirely in the professor's office. If this were a fresh revival rather than a transplant of the recent Los Angeles production, it would make more sense that the actors and production never feel right. But everyone involved has had a lot of practice.

The story is familiar: A female college student, Carol (Stiles), alleges sexual harassment against her professor, John (Pullman). But there's a twist: The audience witnesses the so-called harassment, and we aren't sure what to make of it. Is it actually inappropriate, or is calling it inappropriate simply the delusion of a society inundated with political correctness? The play's belabored dissection of the event in question only serves to confuse the audience.

The play is based on the 1991 scandal between Anita Hill and her boss, then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas — a case that hasn't been resolved to this day. "Oleanna," directed by Doug Hughes, artfully captures this ambiguity, but little else.

Although the play's intention is to inspire ambivalence, we almost immediately side with John because Stiles is just so unsympathetic in her role. She quickly shifts from lost and questioning to self-righteous, irate and, most of all, annoying. By comparison, John is a stuttering loser who will be unable to support his wife and child if Carol goes through with her threat to remove his tenure. Indeed, it's possible that the audience is meant to side with John no matter what, as he does have an arguable advantage in Mamet's script. He elicits the kind of empathy that Carol can never grasp.

Stiles speaks with a formal, snappish and stilted tone — unusual for someone who seeks help after class. Pullman opts for a meek, stammering take on John (compared to the more arrogant and condescending manifestations over the years), which further tilts the even playing field on which these two characters are supposed to stand.

The escalation of action at the end finally throws some support to Carol and presents us with a realistic ambiguity. But one can tell that the actors, who never seem to be thoroughly connected in the first place, are surrendering to their work and merely going through the motions.

In more capable hands, "Oleanna" could leave an arresting impression on the viewer. But all we leave with is sheer aggravation, the desire to abandon this dystopia and never return.

"Oleanna" runs through March 7, 2010 at the John Golden Theatre (252 W. 45th St). Tickets ($76.50 to $116.50) are available at telecharge.com or by calling 212.239.6200.