September 13, 2006

Ensler's political play 'Treatment' aims high, hits low

Eve Ensler's new ripped-from-the-headlines political play "The Treatment" deals with a soldier's demons after a turn as interrogator at an Abu Ghraib-style prison.

Critics applauded the concept of the play, which opened Off-Broadway last night, but nearly across the board condemn its execution.

The two-person, one-act play stars Dylan McDermott (of TV's "The Practice,") as the soldier and and Portia as his psychiatrist. It's directed by Leigh Silverman.

"The Treatment," which runs at the Culture Project through October 22, was the opening performance of the Impact Festival. The festival features dozens of other political plays, debates, films and concerts around town through Oct. 22.

A sample of the reviews of "The Treatment:"

New York Times - "An overwrought amalgam of psychodrama and political sermonizing, this misbegotten production does little credit to Ms. Ensler, creator of “The Vagina Monologues,” or to her unfortunate collaborators, the director Leigh Silverman (“Well”) and the actors Dylan McDermott and Portia."

Post - "Although the play is admirable in trying to examine how soldiers engaged in torture and brutality are themselves dehumanized, "The Treatment" suffers from stilted dialogue, schematic characterizations and a strained air of portentousness."

Newsday - "Both of these people joined the military because they believe in rules. Ensler's point - an important one - is that the rules have changed and Americans don't know how it happened."

Variety - "Whatever is going on with the kinky shrink, it doesn't translate into a dynamic exchange on the serious issues raised about the use of torture in our prisons and its devastating impact on U.S. military personnel who inflict it on others -- and ultimately on themselves. That leaves approximately 49 more opportunities for Culture Project to get it right before "Impact 2006" is put to bed."

Sun - "Mr. McDermott, who spends the last two-thirds in (and occasionally out of) a pair of cute puppy-dog pajama bottoms, tricks out his shell-shocked soldier with every jittery, drooling stereotype imaginable. He also engages in some tru-LY odd IN-flections to HIS dia-LOGUE. ("I am sor-RY I in-SULTed YOU," he intones after one outburst.) Perhaps this is meant to convey synapses shredded by war, but the stronger impression is that of an actor and director trying (not very successfully) to make clichéd dialogue, including the inevitable confession of atrocities, sound less so."

Newark Star-Ledger - "Unfortunately, the grim, fictitious piece lacks the humanity and subversive wit of Ensler's best work."

The Culture Project is located at 45 Bleecker St., map.

September 13, 2006 09:35 AM in Broadway

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