FLAMES CAN BURN IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
Last weekend, Hub Theatre Company of Boston began its own smoldering revival of Lanford Wilson‘s Burn This, a show filled with intertwined emotion, unanswered questions, and refusals to see and accept answers.
In the aftermath of a tragic accident that has killed Robbie, a gay young dancer/choreographer (along with his lover), the dancer’s brother, Pale, shows up at the loft where Robbie lived, banging on the door at an unearthly hour, roaring drunk, too self-absorbed to show any sense of heartbreak over his brother’s death. The dancer’s roommates – an insecure Anna, who may have been secretly in love with the gay dead man, and the acerbic gay Larry, who may have also been (not so) secretly in love with him – are both repelled and fascinated by this interesting creature, whose only resemblance to his dead brother is physical. But, for Anna, the physical resemblance may be enough; with Pale, unlike his brother, sex is possible. Anna’s desire for Pale begins to grow.
Anna suffers the loss of her much-loved roommate Robbie, while trying to deal with Burton, her seemingly close-minded boyfriend who appears to have trouble with her relationships with the opposite sex — even if they happen to be gay. Robbie’s older brother Pale has arrived to collect his brothers personal effects, They talk, they argue, they fight, soon igniting a spark within Anna that bursts into a passionate flame.
Projecting her character’s emotions well past the footlights, Kiki Samko gives a grounded performance as the implacable Anna, allowing us to be a palpable passenger on her emotional roller coaster ride. The boyfriend Burton is played by Tim Hoover, who seemed rather uncomfortable and scattered in the first act, but it was difficult to parse if that was actor or script. Hoover gained confidence in the second act; using one of the play’s references, he seemed to have grown a pair. As Anna’s other roommate Larry, Steve Auger is full of lightheartedness and laughter, providing smiles when the story becomes dark. I absolutely loved him. Victor L Shopov plays Pale, the character that provides the proverbial match that ignites the burning flame. When we first meet him he’s high as a kite, only to watch him dissolve later into hysterical tears. He will lie to you, con you, or fight you in a heartbeat. Shopov is so good that I found his character to be perfectly beastly.
The lower Manhattan loft set by Justin Lahue is simple yet fabulous, the small room providing all the needed elements, including authentic-looking champagne. Nohely Roman‘s costumes ranged from business wear to everyday relaxed outfits. There was a trigger warning about a gun shot during the play, but when does that actually occur? Did I miss it?
What is needed for Wilson’s play to work is the perfect blending of craziness and humanity. Here, we get that, courtesy of director Daniel Bourque. He elevates Lanford’s most popular play to a work of art.
photos by Tim Gurczak
Burn This
Hub Theatre of Boston
Boston Center for the Arts Black Box Theatre
Thurs-Sat at 7:30; Sun at 2
for tickets (“Pay-What-You-Can” to all performances), visit Hub Theatre
