The new play at the Mark Taper Forum, “A Parallelogram,” examines the question of “What if…”
In a clever interplay of relationships, the playwright Bruce Norris uses a remote control device as the gimmick for delving into the future, The device works very well as the actors and the audience are made to wonder if knowing the future is such a good thing.
An elderly woman sits in a comfortable chair, smoking a cigarette and making pithy comments about life’s foibles. She cannot be seen by anyone other than the heroine. Is she the heroine’s alter ego, or is she a witch with psychic powers? Played by Marylouise Burke, she is a funny and wise critic whose cynicism is often frightening. With her nasal voice and comic timing, Burke is a wonder.
The author’s disillusionment with mankind underlies his story of a woman in her twenties, who may or may not be insane or may be suffering from a brain disorder. She is living with an older man who cannot understand why she is acting so strangely. Why has he left his wife for her? Later she abandons him in favor of a gardener closer to her age.
Back and forth in time we go, glimpsing into the past as well as the future.
Although some of the monologues are a bit long and the parallelogram explanation difficult to follow, the play is not only philosophical but funny.
Marin Ireland plays the central character. Although she grasps the ambiguities of the role, she is a bit too cold and dispassionate. On the other hand, Tom Irwin, as the older man, is so intense, he looks like he might have a heart attack on the stage. However, he has great lines and delivers them expertly. Carlo Alban is a charmer and shines as the gardener.
Anna D. Shapiro has done a fine job as the director, not an easy task with the time shifts. A great deal of credit must go to Todd Rosenthal for wonderful revolving sets that fit in with the theme of “presto, chango!”
Do you want to know how it all ends? Que sera, sera!