FringeNYC 2013: Nicholas Maeve Marianne

Review by Aimee Todoroff · August 10, 2013

Lights come up on a table littered with alcoholic drinks. We enter the action mid-stream — a rapid fire debate between two friends while a third acts as peace-maker. It is made clear from the start that these people, now apparently in their late twenties, have known each other for a decade at least.  There is a tension in the air, and we just know that by the end of the play, the relationships between these three people, now interacting as a cohesive, if somewhat dysfunctional unit will have painfully and irreparably changed.  It is a well worn trope, but the expertly drawn characters and outstanding performances by the cast make Nicholas Maeve Marianne stand out as a thoughtful play well worth seeing.

Marianne has suddenly come back after a two year absence stemming from a never specified mental breakdown. She is hoping to reconnect with the two people who mean the most to her, only to find that Maeve and Nicholas are barely speaking to each other.  Over the course of the 90 minute play, betrayals are revealed, indiscretions brought to light, and we watch each of the three eponymous characters struggle with their own heightened version of growing pains.  Matthew Stephen Smith’s script keeps us on our toes as the relationships between the three shift and we’re never quite sure which of the trio will come out all right in the end. Each presents a unique perspective on the trials of finding your way into adult life, and as Marianne is fond of saying “Perspective is everything.”

The language of the play switches from realistic to heightened from beat to beat, leading to some arresting stage moments. Shannon Sullivan as Marianne handles the poetry of her complex monologues particularly well. She finds an integrity in Marianne’s mental illness that leads to a beautifully nuanced performance filled with honesty and charm. The other two actors, Rachael Lee as Maeve and Christopher McLindon as Nicholas, are equally adept at maneuvering the complicated landscape of Smith’s script. Lee gives Maeve an inner tension that rests just below the surface and when she finally lets her guard down, she breaks your heart. As Nicholas, McLindon is both sweet and desperate, creating a character easy to root for. While the script would probably benefit from some editing, director Jaclyn Bishop keeps the action moving with creative staging and a lively pace.

Nicholas Maeve Marianne starts on familiar territory and while the stakes never reach quite as high as the creative team seems to be aiming the play takes the audience on an angst-filled journey into the struggles of becoming an adult. The result is a surprising exploration of loss and longing that is both emotionally satisfying and thought provoking. If this production from the young company is any indication, I expect great things from The Mill in the future.