Standing on West 45th Street at the stage door of the Hudson Theatre in New York around 11 p.m. that evening, I patiently waited to congratulate Adam Driver on his Tony Award nomination that he received that same morning of April 30.
A nomination that I had quickly learned was well deserved after seeing him put on a tremendous performance in Lanford Wilson’s revival of “Burn This.”
Set in Manhattan in 1987, the play opens with professional dancer Anna (Keri Russell) returning from the funeral of her best friend and work partner, Robbie.
Robbie, a dancer as well, died in a boating accident with his lover, Dom.
Walking onto the stage through a door on the right, the set was an open living room that also doubled as a dance studio for the two. A view of Manhattan through paned windows lines the back of the stage, while an enormous couch sits right in the middle.
Pouring herself a drink, Anna sprawled herself out on the couch as her other roommate, Larry (Brandon Uranowitz), a homosexual man who works in advertising, came home from work.
Asking how the funeral services went, Anna explains to him how awful it had been for her. Appearing as Robbie’s girlfriend, Anna had to take on the role as Robbie’s family, who had never known that he was gay. Knowing this, Anna continued the charade for his family, feeling as if it was not her place to tell them.
As she was explaining this, her longtime boyfriend Burton (David Furr), a professional writer, came to the door. Anna continued to share her encounter from the services until it dawns on her that her friend and work partner is really gone.
Now, not knowing where to go personally and professionally, Anna must decide how she would like to continue in a world without Robbie.
A month passes, and Anna is woken up at five in the morning from the sound of loud knocking on her front door. Not knowing what is going on, she answers the door in confusion. Enter Pale (Driver), in a suit with a gold chain around his neck. He explains that he is Robbie’s brother from New Jersey, and he is there to collect his things.
Anna explains that everything had been put into storage and that he would need to wait until 8 a.m. for the facility to open. If he had given notice, she would have prepared everything for him.
Pale, not willing to accept that as a response, begins to get visibly upset. Yelling that he needs to get to work and doesn’t have time to wait, the two begin to argue. This is the first of many instances where Russell and Driver show that the two work well together.
Their banter is anything but playful, and their emotions run high and fierce as both actors leave it all out on the stage. But it’s through their loud and fearless attitudes towards each other that Anna and Pale realize the chemistry that they share.
What begins as an unhealthy personal relationship, quickly turns into an even unhealthier sexual one.
Driver, who plays a stereotypical New Jerseyan with a bad attitude, is really still in shock over the loss of his brother. The emotion that Driver conveys through his character is astounding – the hidden sadness in Pale is something we can all sympathize with. A façade that he puts on in his real life while masking his pain with alcohol at the end of each day, not knowing what he is doing with his own life but finding comfort in the only person that understands his pain more than he can.
Russell, whose performance can best be described as wooden, really only showed emotion when scenes became heated. Her tenacity as an actor really came to life as she yelled at Driver across the stage. But when words weren’t being spit back and forth between the two of them, Russell appeared stagnant.
Wilson’s play was wonderfully performed in front of a sold out crowd on a Tuesday in April, if that doesn’t show how well received his production is over 30 years after it’s original run, I don’t know what does?
The exploration of homosexual relationships, as well as the examination of one’s self come through flawlessly and the production was one of my favorites of the last year. If you are looking for something to see in the near future, I highly recommend a trip to see “Burn This.” If not for the story, then make the effort to see Driver’s astounding performance.
Lanford Wilson’s “Burn This” is in production at the Hudson Theatre on Broadway through July 14.
Ken Downey Jr. is the Features Editor for Time OFF and Packet Publications. This is a part of his series of weekly columns focusing on arts and entertainment. He can be contacted at [email protected].