Review: THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, Hampstead Theatre
Photo credit: Helen Murray
We were back at Hampstead Theatre this week, the most welcoming of theatres, and can always be relied upon to produce high-quality drama. That is certainly the case with The Assembled Parties, Richard Greenberg’s 2013 play, being seen for the first time in the UK.
Although written just over ten years ago, the play is set in 1980 and then 2000, with a twenty year gap between the two acts, which are set in the same Upper West Side apartment in New York. A helpful programme article outlines the development of apartment life in New York, especially in the region where the play is set, and includes other articles about the author and the elections that form the background to each Act (Reagan and George W. Bush). Comments on these Republican gains inevitably gain extra resonance in the present day.
Both acts are set on Christmas Day, when a secular Jewish family meets for a gathering which is emotionally fraught and riven with tension and distrust. The resident family of Ben, Julie and their two sons are joined by Ben’s sister Faye, with her husband and daughter. Also joining the celebration is Jeff, a friend of Julie’s oldest son.
Twenty years later and both husbands are dead, as is the oldest son Scotty. The passing of time can be inferred from the dialogue but could usefully have been signalled in the programme as well (as in the playscript), as could the date in which each Act is set; not all British audiences will be able to recognise a year by US election results.
Greenberg writes witty and perceptive dialogue for his characters, hinting at what lies beneath, and he has a remarkable ability to suggest emotional depth through sometimes simple or apparently trite words. The two families are each lost in their own way, mostly through broken relationships with their own offspring. They are also continually looking back with a form of nostalgia that seems harmful to their own self-belief.
David Kennedy’s Mort and Daniel Abelson’s Ben are nicely differentiated and each clearly has a considerable backstory, although the playwright’s focus is mainly on the two mothers. Julia Kass contributes a deft portrayal of forlorn Shelley and Alexander Marks is briefly seen as Scotty. He returns in the second act to play the adult version of younger son Timmy, and does so with a totally believable portrayal of a damaged child.
As Jeff, Sam Marks makes much of what is perhaps the least well-written character. We know little of his family background whilst we are told much about the others; but perhaps that is the point. Marks is good at showing the gradual development from awkward house guest to loyal ex-partner (we presume) of Scotty.
It is, however, the two mothers on whom the play is focussed. Tracy-Ann Oberman returns to Hampstead to create a Jewish mother who transcends satire and is both utterly real and very funny. As faded teen movie star Julie, Jennifer Westfeldt makes a memorable UK debut and is touching and heart-rending in her inability to see the truth about those around her. In addition to creating memorable characters, Oberman and Westfeldt work excellently together, creating a relationship which is rooted in their relationships with their children.
James Cotterill designs the apartment using a revolve for the multiple settings of Act 1 but then a realistic box set for Act 2, as stipulated by the author in his script. It’s not clear whether this is for practical reasons or to imply some other difference over time: perhaps to indicate that fluid thoughts have become fixed. Director Blanche McIntyre knows this stage well and has created a worthy tribute to author Greenberg, who died earlier this year.
The Assembled Parties is a thoughtful, funny and heartfelt story of two New York families. Let’s hope we can see more of Greenberg’s plays in the future.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Chris Abbott
The Assembled Parties plays at London’s Hampstead Theatre until 22 November, with further info here.
