FringeNYC 2013: Manic Pixie Dream Girl: A Graphic Novel Play

Review by Nathaniel Kressen · August 9, 2013

Katie May’s new play Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a deceptively straightforward comedy that is capably directed, expertly performed, and made all the more compelling to watch thanks to shifting background artwork that mirrors key moments onstage. I say deceptively straightforward because while its premise and plotline are simple, the play speaks volumes about relationships and attraction, growing into adulthood, the creative process, and the role of the artist in contemporary society – all without drawing focus from the primary narrative. It’s not the type of play to ask why things are the way they are, or whether they need to change. Rather, those elements exist within the play merely because it depicts the real world truthfully.

The plot concerns Tallman (Joshua Roberts), a former graphic novel artist turned painter who’s struggling to meet the demands of his gallery ever since his ex-girlfriend Jackie (Liz Anderson) stops posing for him and moves out. We learn their relationship was a slow fade: At first they lived the nocturnal life together – working service industry jobs by night and making art by day. Then she decided to get a daytime job in an office, they saw less and less of each other, and she eventually cheated on him with Rick (Antonio Alvarez), a burly real estate agent who goes on to buy the apartment building where Tallman lives. When he receives an eviction notice from Rick it seems like the world is conspiring against him… until he meets Lilly (Lyndsy Kail), the mysterious, quirky, and emotional character for whom the play is named.

His best friend Porter (Michael Barrett Austin) immediately points out that Lilly fits the cinematic caricature known as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl – the girl who arrives from out of nowhere, displays a childlike enthusiasm for life, and changes the main character’s life for the better. Very little is ever revealed about a magic pixie dream girl; rather, she’s allowed to remain a mythical (read: one-dimensional) character, only present to guide a fledgling protagonist back on track.

At first, Lilly fits the mold. No sooner have they met than they are back at Tallman’s apartment constructing pillow forts and consuming Starbursts by the bag. She moves in the same night – or rather, she never leaves. She never speaks aloud (seemingly by choice), and so their only communication is through gestures and facial expressions. Tallman seems only too happy to ignore the questions his best friend thinks to ask, such as where she might have been living prior to his apartment. Instead, he chooses to believe his fate has changed for the better. He’s painting again, and painting well, and with a finished gallery show he would be able to avoid his eviction and keep living with the girl he’s falling for. However, as a film critic might say about the caricature, it’s a stretch to believe that a manic pixie dream girl can exist without having her own history, and soon Lilly’s catches up to them both.

The production moves quickly and is highly enjoyable. The cast is superb, endowing each moment with authenticity and expert timing. Roberts, Anderson, Austin, and Alvarez are a joy to watch and excel at May’s naturalistic brand of humor. However it is Kail as Lilly who truly shines. She is emotionally available and simple in her delivery, and when Lilly’s past catches up to her and the mythical veneer falls away, Kail’s performance is heart wrenching to watch. It seems odd to say this for a non-speaking role, but Kail was born to play this part.

Rob Dario’s background illustrations convey an obvious talent but utilize speech bubbles that can be difficult to read from the audience. Jon Tracy’s direction is largely on point, with the lone exception of a device used to open the show and bookend Tallman’s failed relationship with Jackie. While the device has some merit from a tonal perspective – ostensibly setting the play within the world of a graphic novel – it brings Tallman’s more questionable character traits to the forefront rather than letting us reconcile them along the way, which makes it an uphill battle for the audience to root for him later on.

Otherwise, Tracy has done a wonderful job bringing May’s work to life and has solicited top-notch performances from his cast. Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a small show done well, and well worth catching at this year’s FringeNYC.