Cristin Milioti and Bob Braswell in "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter." (Joan Marcus)
Set during the late 1930s, the play has as its protagonist John Singer (Henry Stram), a deaf man and engraver by trade. Singer comes to live in a boarding house in a small town in Georgia following a personal tragedy involving his close friend (I.N. Sierros). Though the locals are wary of him at first, they are quickly won over by Singer’s politeness, intelligence, and seeming blank slate of a personality. He always seems to know the right things to do or say (via writing on a pad of paper).
Among those Singer meets are Mick Kelly (Cristin Milioti), a 14-year-old girl with big dreams; Dr. Copeland (James McDaniel), a black man who is estranged from his son and daughter; Biff (Randall Newsome), the owner of a local café, who may be showing just a bit too much interest in Mick; and Jake (Andrew Weems), a labor agitator and union organizer.
Each of these people sees in Singer a person to tell their tales of hope and pain to, though in actuality, they are really speaking to themselves and using him as a sounding board. (This is particularly evident with Jake, who goes on about the need for the workers to unite and organize, while John, who can read lips, is only able to pick up a few words here and there.) Although Singer listens to their problems and helps out wherever he can, he remains basically an enigma to everyone.
Yet when John attempts to connect with his new community, he is cruelly rebuffed. A holiday party for his friends becomes an awkward and strained affair, with none of those gathered knowing what to say to one another, Singer being the only strong common link among them.
Although the story is quite interesting, and Stram gives a strong performance, his character remains too unknown to really care about. The play reveals what has happened in his past, but one is never really given a sense of just who John Singer is and why one should feel anything more than passing interest in him, especially when there are several other more interesting story lines going on at the same time.
This is a problem that apparently confounded both Gilman and Director Doug Hughes, as the two are unable to aid Stram in his attempt to bring this figure fully to life. It is not until the play’s epilogue that one starts to get a clear picture of Singer. While it’s a nice coda to the story, it occurs too late to have an impact on what’s come before.
At the same time, there are several other plot lines that could have been taken from the script and made into plays of their own.
Most interesting is Mick’s desire to get out of this tiny town where she was born and make something of her life; but she is trapped by the obligation to go to work and support her family, as well as her friendship with a 16-year-old boy (Bob Braswell), who is beginning to see her as more than just a friend. Milioti’s portrayal of the character makes this the most poignant story in the play, and one would definitely have liked to have seen this explored further.
Also powerful is the persona, quiet dignity, and powering rage McDaniel brings to the role of Dr. Copeland, a man continually frustrated by the problems his race suffers at the hands of those in power and from the system in general.
In an interesting scene, the doctor and Jake talk animatedly about the need to organize the downtrodden and neglected, but while their passion brings them together, their differences about how to achieve that goal ultimately drive them apart.
As for Jake, he unfortunately all too often comes off as a caricature, spouting lines about workers’ rights that while certainly relevant, are diluted by a portrayal that feels flat and one-dimensional, rather than any sort of force for change.
The set by Neil Patel, while nicely done, lacks the feeling of place, with one never really being in the locations indicated by the story. Catherine Zuber’s costumes are fine.
Also in the cast are Jimonn Cole, Michael Cullen, Randall Newsome, and Roslyn Ruff.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
New York Theatre Workshop
79 East Fourth Street
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Running Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Closes: Dec. 20
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
