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Writing for Us
A CurtainUp Los Angeles Review
Time Stands Still
| You're war junkies, always looking for the next adrenaline fix! — Richard to James and Sarah
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Anna Gunn and David Harbour in Time Stands Still.
(Photo: ) |
Two media veterans of the Iraq war, James (David Harbour), a journalist, and his lover Sarah (Anna Gunn), a photographer, come limping home. James had a nervous breakdown which forced him to come back earlier, entrusting Sarah to "fixer"/driver Tariq. She falls in love with Tariq but a bomb explosion kills him and gravely injures her.
The play takes place in Sarah's Brooklyn loft where James tries to help her heal physically and the couple struggle with their goals and their relationship. Their lives are thrown into relief by the visits of their editor, middle-aged Richard (Robin Thomas) and his new love Mandy (Alicia Silverstone), a very young events planner who is pregnant— to the disdain of Sarah who mocks the child-bride concept. At first Mandy seems an over-the-top cliché, right in line with Sarah's viewpoint, but Margulies uses her astutely to convey the shock and horror of Sarah's war photographs of women keening over their dying children. When Mandy screams " Why didn't you help theminstead of standing there taking pictures?" Sarah tries to explain why pictures are important to show the world what's happening. Mandy cries "Just once couldn't you make an exception and help them?" and ceases to be childlike in that moment. As for Richard, ever the professional, he commissions a picture book of Sarah's photos but can't get his publishers to print James' article about prison camps.
Sarah is always determined to go back to work, even after she agrees to marry James. Post-wedding, disillusion sets in as James takes a job as a horror movie critic, substituting one set of horrors for another. Sarah breaks into his computer and finds that his story about Iraq barely mentions Tariq whom she has idealized as well as idolized. This becomes the fulcrum for the couples' final confrontation, in which James admits he wants to stay home and Sarah insists she needs to go back. Mandy's happy stay-at-home-Mom life is not for her. She won't even give it a try.
Anna Gunn plays Sarah with unaffected clarity, effortlessly holding the stage. Harbour is lovable and forceful as James who makes his points and expresses his love with appealing sincerity. Silverstone brings a sweetness to the thankless role of Mandy and believably tracks her growth from Daddy's little girl to Earth Mother. Thomas gives Richard many facets as the professional, rather cynical editor.
Daniel Sullivan directs with his usual intuitive empathy for Margulies' characters, letting their speeches overlap naturally without losing the meaning. The final scene is very satisfying, especially Sarah's last moments alone on the stage packing to return to the wars and hearing mysterious menacing footsteps climbing the stairs to her loft. The bottom line, if you want to be obvious, is that danger is everywhere.
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Time Stands Still Playwright: Donald Margulies Director: Daniel Sullivan Cast: David Harbour (James), Anna Gunn (Sarah), Alicia Silverstone (Mandy), Robin Thomas (Richard) Scenic Design: John Lee Beatty Costume Design: Rita Ryack Lighting Design: Peter Kaczorowski Sound Design: Jon Gottlieb Composer: Peter Golub Production Stage Manager: James T. McDermott Running Time: Two hours 15 minutes with one intermission Running Dates: February 12-March 15, 2009 Where: The Geffen Playhouse, 10886 LeConte, Westwood. Reservations: (310) 208-5454 Reviewed by Laura Hitchcock on February 12. |
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