The actually well-off Emma (Jennifer Westfeldt), feeling she might get more successful results—read more notoriety—if she proclaimed herself to be part Inca and a member of an inner-city crackhead family, submits a phony “memoir” to her agent. The agent, Lydia Freemantle (Isabel Keating), thrilled by this highly original manuscript, grants a hefty advance to Emma, enabling her to furnish an elegant New York apartment.
Emma’s ploy is met with less than enthusiasm by her older sister Tess (Christina Kirk). Tess, a hardheaded journalist, is enraged by Emma’s deception—there’s a hint of sibling rivalry here. Will Tess “out” Emma in the interests of “truth”?
An early visit by agent Lydia projects all sweetness and light. Lydia’s publishing company stands to make a mint from the success of this unique tome. She probably doesn’t care whether the book is true or false, as long as it racks up sales. The publishing business is a business, after all.
Along the way, Emma, who tutors inner-city youth in her spare time, meets and takes up with the attractive young Latino, Alejandro (Raul Castillo). The two are smitten with each other—opposites attract?—until Emma inadvertently insults the lad, who feels she is patronizing.
The fact is Emma feels unconnected to her life as an upper-middle-class woman. That she’s also bipolar lends fuel to the fire.
There are some vivid, compelling scenes, particularly between the two sisters. And the playwright, who has a strong talent for punchy dialogue, nicely portrays the anguish of a young Latino who would like to strive for higher things, but lacks the education and exposure to Middle America that might lead to his success. He feels that Emma might point the way, but he can’t tolerate being treated as less than an equal.
A number of people, particularly in the arts, reinvent themselves. Perhaps they feel that fiction is actually closer to the way they are, or want to be, perceived. So Cram’s play presents an interesting notion.
All four performances, under Pam MacKinnon’s smooth and perceptive direction, are sharply honed. I especially liked Christina Kirk’s cynicism, bite, and anger. The attractive Jennifer Westfeldt, who never leaves the stage, did a yeoman’s job as the complex, yearning Emma. The actress’s slight vocal vibrato was a bit disturbing, however. Isabel Keating’s sophistication and ability to perform a rapid intellectual and emotional about-face were most effective. Raul Castillo conveyed just the right mix of naiveté and sensuality.
Kris Stone was responsible for the particularly attractive set design, with Theresa Squire’s costumes setting the tone for the play’s particular milieu.
A Lifetime Burning (the title is taken from a T.S. Eliot poem) offers both entertainment and an insight into certain creative imaginations.
A Lifetime Burning
Produced by Primary Stages
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th Street
Tickets: 2l2-279-4200 or www.TicketCentral.com
Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes (no intermission)
Closes: Sept. 5
Diana Barth writes and publishes New Millennium, an arts newsletter. She also contributes reviews to TotalTheater.com.
