Minimal preaching in "Gentrifusion"
"Gentrification" is one of those unpleasant words that can mean vastly different things to different people. The noble aim of "Gentrifusion," an evening of one-acts presented by the LABA Theatre at the 14th St. Y, is to bring ambiguity back to the word. None of the selections in this evening of six short plays stands for any particular point of view, but for the conflict between several. The plays (thankfully) don't imagine themselves to be urgently political, and thus preaching is kept to a bare minimum. The value of "Gentrifusion" therefore lies in the drama of that the constituent works are able to introduce.
The collection begins with "Ours Is the Future, Ours Is the Past," written by Jon Kern, which attempts a modernized New York take on Thornton Wilder's "Our Town." There are moments of true dramatic tension, but all too often it takes on the attitude of a student who's trying just a little too hard to seem smarter than everyone else. It is at its best when it leaves narration and metafiction behind and simply relies on its characters.
The next play does this throughout and excels through the sheer power of its characterizations. "First of the Month" by Carla Ching concerns a home changing hands. All three characters are written and played wonderfully. Wayne T. Carr as Jakob forms the backbone of the scene with easygoing smoothness, Tiffany Villarin is very strong as a member of the type-A, Starbucks-consuming set, and Rajesh Bose relishes the plum role of a slovenly but loveable roommate, Sam.
"Robert Mapplethorpe Doesn't Live Here Anymore" by Joshua Conkel is mostly notable as the strangest of the bunch, examing gentrification within the gay community. The actors do a fine job, but at times they struggle to overcome the fundamental absurdity of the situation they have been placed in. While it is not as coherent as it might be, its use of a ghost story as a metaphor for a residence changing occupants is clever and sustains the story. The fifth play, "(2) 11" by Janine Nabers, is well acted but is perhaps the structurally weakest of the bunch, never quite managing to go anywhere.
It is good, then, that the final play is an excellent one. "Crawl" by Crystal Skillman observes two estranged brothers grappling with the prospect of selling the home they grew up in. Like "First of the Month," this play succeeds on the strength of its characters, which can be attributed both to the writing and to the fine acting by Nathan Hinton and Sheldon Best.
It is a good rule of thumb with short plays that unless the underlying concept is stunningly brilliant, the work will live or die by how intrinsically interesting its characters are. By that measure, "Gentrifusion" is largely successful. That the task of making the characters interesting or likeable sometimes falls entirely to the actors is always a risk, but it is one that the thespians in this production appear to accept with relish.
Stefan Melnyk is a staff writer. E-mail him at theater@nyunews.com.
