‘THE REVISIONIST’: A WAKE UP CALL
Jesse Eisenberg
REVIEW: THE REVISIONIST
BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO
Most know actor Jesse Eisenberg for his memorable roles in The Village, Zombieland, and The Social Network, but what most are not aware of is his second career as an American playwright. The Wallis Annenberg’s West Coast premiere of Eisenberg’s third play The Revisionist, which premiered in February 2013 at the Cherry Lane Theatre, gives audiences a first-hand glimpse into his affective playwriting style and individual perspective.
The now 32 year-old playwright writes about the relationship between two people: David, the young self-centered New York writer and his cousin Maria the older Polish woman who survived the holocaust. David visits Maria in Poland for the sole purpose of revising his new book, hoping to be largely uninterrupted; and Maria who suffers from isolation, is eager to connect with her American cousin over dinners, sightseeing, and conversation. The central conflict of the play stems from the clash of values, cultures, and outlook of these two characters that grow disappointed and frustrated with the breakdown of their expectations.
Deanna Dunagan, left, and Seamus Mulcahy. Photo Credit: Kevin Parry.
Upon entering the Lovelace Theatre at the Wallis, the first thing that you notice is the two-sided set created by director Robin Larsen and set designer Tom Buderwitz. This artistic decision wholly affects how the play is viewed, as Buderwitz says, “[. . .] we split the set down the middle, so the audience is looking at it from both sides, and [they] can see the other audience on the other side. There’s really the sense of being voyeurs and being watched at the same time. Everybody in this room is in the apartment with them.” Larsen’s direction of the actors heightens this sense of intimacy as the actors’ movement in the space is natural and active—as the scenes become more tense the audience become flies on the wall of this tiny European apartment.
Deanna Dunagan and Seamus Mulcahy. Photo Credit: Kevin Parry.
Seamus Mulcahy’s (David) performance is deep and substantive—he’s the typical millennial: antisocial, self-absorbed, over privileged and apathetic. Mulcahy embodies these traits in everything he does, every move, every line, subtext and his own experiences. However, when seeing the David character, one is immediately reminded of Eisenberg, his voice leaps off the page. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Eisenberg said the impetus for his first play is about “My plight of my self-centered feelings about my life, my writing, my acting—just the kind of navel-gazing lament of a young person”.
Denna Dunagan’s (Maria) performance is powerful and raw—she skillfully evokes this European woman’s sense loss and desire to connect with her family. Dunagan brings all the background of Maria’s life into this role. Once we discover that her entire family was killed in the Holocaust in 1939 when she was only four years old, we fully comprehend her great misfortune and why she transfers all of this to her only family visitor David.
Ilia Volok (Zenon) plays the Polish taxi driver who has befriended Maria, and although his appearances are brief from his first entrance you get the sense of his brutish character right away and that he cares for Maria in his own way. Volok’s performance is physical and honest, he’s creates an intriguing character.
Ilia Volok and Seamus Mulcahy. Photo Credit: Kevin Parry.
Eisenberg’s The Revisionist is a wake-up call for American millennials who may be spending too much time connecting online and not enough time building interpersonal relationships in the world with their families. The Revisionist leaves the choice up to you: who is the protagonist, Maria or Davis? Who do you connect with? The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ production of The Revisionist is poignant and superb—rarely do we find a theater piece so thought provoking and self-reflective.
The Revisionist runs from April 1st through April 17th at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. For more information and tickets visit: thewallis.org.
