Broadway's version of a tasting menu is being served up nightly at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in the form of "Relatively Speaking."
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This uneven collection of comedic fare assembles three different one-act plays, written by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen and directed by John Turturro. While a set of one-act plays from these legendary writers seems appealing, audience members may leave feeling unsatisfied. After all, who wants a sampling platter at a Porterhouse price?
The evening's first offering is the least compelling. "Talking Cure" by Ethan Coen (of "Fargo" and "No Country for Old Men" fame) is a comparatively thin dark comedy about a mental patient (Danny Hoch) reminiscing with a doctor (Jason Kravits) about his troubled childhood. The exchange between patient and doctor is chopped up by abrupt scene changes and concludes with a flashback of the patient's family life. Even more abrupt than the scene changes is the ending. This dark comedy illuminates little in the vein of character depth and plot development, but Coen's snarky witticisms shine through every so often, keeping "Talking Cure" from completely stunting the show's momentum.
Elaine May, a two-time Oscar nominee and the screenwriter of "The Birdcage," buoys the evening with her foray into the hilarity of death entitled "George is Dead." Doreen (Marlo Thomas), a rich, pampered and WASPish blonde, wakes up Carla (Lisa Emery), her long-since-fired nanny's daughter, in the middle of the night for company in the wake of her last husband's death. Why? Carla is the closest thing Doreen has to family. With a disappointed husband and an ailing mother, Carla is caught in a tangled web of familial commitments. The conflicts are many, and because of the strong cast, the laughs are even more so. "George is Dead," with its outrageous gags, is a welcome nod to the Neil Simon comedy and serves as a satisfying second act.
Rightfully placed as the finale, "Honeymoon Motel" is Woody Allen's contribution to "Relatively Speaking." Steve Guttenberg plays Jerry Spector, a groom's stepfather gone mad.
"Honeymoon Motel's" cast is the largest and most polished of the three, with Guttenberg acting as a surprisingly impeccable Woody Allen stand-in.
Over Guttenberg's rambling rationalizations, however, it is easy to hear Caroline Aaron's hilariously outraged one-liners as the incensed Judy Spector. The quick dialogue shoots back and forth across Santo Loquasto's spot-on set design of a tacky honeymoon suite. "Honeymoon Motel" finally fires up "Relatively Speaking" into the comedic romp it should have been the whole time.
"Relatively Speaking" is playing an open-ended run at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre at 256 W. 47th St. between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Regular tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster. For more information, visit relativelyspeakingbroadway.com.
