Incognito

by Nick Payne

seen at the Manhattan Theatre Club, New York, on 28 May 2016

Doug Hughes directs Geneva Carr, Charlie Cox, Heather Lind and Morgan Spector in a production designed by Scott Pask and lit by Ben Stanton.

The actors take multiple roles in a play in which several story lines are developed contrapuntally, with only sudden changes of lighting indicating a scene change on a black stage with four black chairs. We follow the story of the pathologist who performed the autopsy on Albert Einstein and 'stole' his brain for further research (which is never published); the story of an epileptic whose most severe fit left him with a memory window of only a few minutes; the story of a psychologist embarking on a lesbian affair but hesitant to admit that she has been married and has a grown up son; and some of her interviews with clients.

Blackbird

by David Harrower

seen at the Belasco Theatre, New York, on 27 May 2016

Joe Mantello directs this short but extremely intense play starring Michelle Williams as Una and Jeff Daniels as Ray, with set design by Scott Pask and lighting by Brian MacDevitt.

As the play begins, the office space we have been looking at is transformed by moving walls into an untidy office canteen, into which Ray propels Una. He is hunched with misery and fearful unease; she, unwilling to be touched or controlled, seems more in command of herself. There is clearly something clandestine about the meeting, as Ray feels he has been tracked down while Una seems determined on an important confrontation. She is very sceptical that Ray is now evidently known to everyone in the office as Pete.