FringeNYC 2013: Jack London: Sex, Love and Revolution

Review by Josephine Cashman · August 18, 2013

At the top of this play, Jack London, writer and adventurer decides to marry. Marry out of convenience and “science,” or marry for love and adventure.  He chooses convenience.  This is such a mistake that the first act drags beneath the unending self-pity desertification of his marriage.

Ben Goldstein’s script is full of exposition. While we hear about Jack’s outrageous behavior, onstage he comes off as a petulant, selfish little boy who wants everyone else to take care of him.  Even London’s novels and articles are given short shrift to his marriage and dalliances with other women.  He remains divided between his “mommy-girl” wife (played by Cara Loften) and the playful lover he has in Charmian (a spritely Natalie Roy), but for the most part, and the better part of the play, chooses to do nothing about it.

Goldstein’s script keeps telling the audience how wild he is, how dashing, charming, out of control, but onstage London mostly mopes and whines about his marriage, his debts, his politics (he seems to pay lip service to his politics onstage by running on the socialist ticket, but more out of a sense of ennui than anything else).

We do get tantalizing glimpses of his stay in London’s East End, where his work, The People of the Abyss helped shed light on the slums in England the same way Jacob Riis did for New York City in his book (How the Other Half Lives).  And London’s reports on the aftermath of the Great San Francisco Earthquake are riveting, but all too short.  But we see very little of these adventures, although they give the audience a respite from his relationship troubles.

The show picks up pace and verve in the second act, thankfully. Erika Amato is fabulous as Ninetta, the sometime narrator and one of the many mother figures in London’s Life.  Even when the material struggles, she manages to keep an energetic wink in her eye and a spring in her step.  Xander Chauncey (who plays Jack London and is also the play’s fight choreographer) and Natalie Roy have bright moments of chemistry during the all too brief boxing and fencing scenes.

Director Kimberly Loren Eaton does her best with the material, and the actors have trouble keeping up the energy and pace of the overly long first act.  The production has been able to obtain and use photos taken by Jack London on his travels, but they were sorely underused.  Lindsay McWilliams’ costume designs are sumptuous and flat out beautiful, adding texture and a richness to the over all feeling of the show. 

Jack London was an adventurer, a journalist, a writer, a lover, and a controversial figure.  History tells us this; His paternity was somewhat of a mystery, a former slave largely raised him.  He traveled famously to Alaska and was involved in the gold rush.  He lived fast and may or may not have committed suicide. 

Most of this takes place before the start of the play, and is largely left untouched.  It is a pity that the playwright foregoes to make more use of London’s fascinating history.