Theater Review: ‘Levittown’

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NEW YORK—There's a lot of material to be mined in "Levittown," from hidden family secrets to parents and children playing the blame game, as well as the horrors of war, and perhaps most importantly, people trying to recreate their memories of a "perfect" family.

However, none of these avenues are fully explored in Marc Palmieri's new work “Levittown” (presented by The Cliplight Theater and Theatre at Saint Clement’s)—a play that offers far more questions than it answers.

In 1999, 20-something perennial college dropout Kevin (Tristan Colton) returns to his blue-collar family's home in Levittown, New York, to some unexpected news: His sister Colleen (Susan Bennett) is getting married.

Colleen has a history of drug abuse, alcoholism, and suicide attempts, and even after getting herself together, is still quite fragile. As she confides to her mother Kathleen (Deborah Tranelli), Colleen is terribly afraid that her newfound happiness will be pulled out from under her, as it has been so many times before.

Colleen's problems, which have resulted in Kevin appointing himself as his sister's guardian—with the result that he is unable to move on with his own life—seem to have their root with their father, Richard.

Richard (Curzon Dobell) left the family years earlier after a bitter divorce. He, who lives nearby, mentally abused the family on numerous occasions and his conversations with Kevin prove him to be a master manipulator, skilled at twisting words and situations around to cast himself in a favorable light, at the expense of all others.

However, despite all that has happened in the past (much of which is hinted at without being made clear), Kevin hopes that Colleen's changed situation will also signal a way for her and Richard to bury the hatchet and help bring the family back together. Yet this is not as easy as it seems, with Colleen still walking on eggshells, and Richard still angry over an incident where a drunken Colleen humiliated him in church in front of his friends.

Unfortunately, instead of concentrating on this core story, Palmieri also inserts a separate arc, this one focusing on Kathleen's father Edmund (Dane Knell). A former firefighter (firefighting runs in the family), Edmund is now beset by dreams that haunt his sleep—dreams of mistakes made all his life and which stem from his near-death experiences in World War II. These incidents eventually led to tragedy for his two kids, one of whom was killed fighting a fire, and it's a pattern that threatens to be repeated with Kevin and Colleen.

This subplot is an ambitious undertaking, and one that requires a much firmer grasp of the story than Palmieri is able to demonstrate.

Another problem is George Demas's direction, which is uneven to say the least. Deathly slow in the beginning, the piece is enlivened by Dobell's wonderful performance as the alternatively angry and smooth father, but then loses traction once various dream sequences are introduced. Additionally, Dobell is hamstrung by the fact his character is never fully explained (such as what made him the way he is, what exactly happened between Richard and Colleen), as well as at least one needed confrontation scene that never takes place.

Fortunately, a lot of the casting works quite well. Bennett makes a good Colleen, presenting a person who is quiet, unassuming, and terribly afraid of once again becoming a victim.

Colton is effective as Kevin, a casebook study in denial, portraying someone who just wants everybody to forget the past and be happy together. His explanation of “he's my father” as he tries to find a common ground where everyone can coexist, shows both his own desperate need to resolve these issues and his inability to realize life doesn't always turn out the way one wants.

Todd Lawson is good as Colleen's steadfast and loving boyfriend, while Tyler Pierce is fine as Colleen and Kevin's cousin.

However, none of the characters are as fully developed as they should be, with the parents Kathleen and Edmund particularly getting the short shrift in that department.

Finally, the last sequence doesn't make sense in regard to what has come before. Palmieri seems to be trying for closure, but tries to tie things up too neatly. It's simply not believable considering the story that has just been presented.

Palmieri has come up with some very interesting possibilities, especially as he tries to show the analogy between the cookie-cutter community of Levittown, which was created for returning servicemen after World War II, and the demons some of the inhabitants carry inside them. But the work needs some serious refocusing before returning to the stage in a future reincarnation—something the playwright should indeed try to do.

Levittown
Theatre at St. Clement’s
423 West 46th Street
Tickets: 212-352-3101 or www.cliplighttheater.com
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Closes: August 1

Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.