FringeNYC 2013: Still Life

Review by David Koteles · August 10, 2013

What do two grapes talk about when they’re alone? Yes, grapes. That’s the premise of Zeke Blackwell’s new comedy Still Life, playing the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival.

Mr. Blackwell’s wry, impish, slightly nihilistic grapes have little to do but plenty of time to do it in while ripening on their vine. Apparently, they use that time to think big thoughts and talk to each other. And they find lots to talk about: linguistics, philosophy, kittens, the meaning of life... The two purple grapes that occupy this play are Orley, the sweet, talkative one, and Donald, the grumpy pragmatist. Donald yearns to have legs to free him of the vine that binds them as well as their impending fate--whether it is being picked, stomped or withering away, none seem too appealing. Ah, yes, there are puns galore and grape jokes aplenty--“Would you stop being a seedling and tell me what’s going on?” whines one grape to the other. The jokes kind of work, the discussions are somewhat thoughtful, and the arguments have their own internal logic, yet there’s something missing here. Unfortunately, as clever a writer as Blackwell seems to be, Still Life doesn’t rise above sketch material. There is no plot and the characters are left hanging, literally, waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately, so is the audience. There are two events in the piece (which I promise to not give away here): the first is surprising and almost magical, and the second is a touch of magic realism that has no honest surprise to it. Neither event is addressed with any real depth, although to Blackwell’s credit they do seem to change his characters a bit. While I’ve seen and enjoyed plays where nothing or very little happens, what this piece lacked for me were characters that had tangible needs and yearnings. To pull off having two characters sitting around talking about the meaning of existence ad nauseum without actually doing anything, the conversation should be more than mere banter. In fact, it had better be truly hilarious and insightful, and offer a bigger pay-off after watching grapes ripen on the vine for an hour and a half. Instead, we get two characters saying “fine” to each other for several long minutes until they realize it’s actually an annoying word. If the play is a metaphor, or if the situation is some kind of a cultural or political analogy, or if this is some kind of existential riff a la Waiting for Godot, it escaped this audience member. Still, I do look forward to seeing more of Blackwell’s writing, as he seems smart and funny and has an admirable way with language. Next time I’d like to see him write about a subject that has greater meaning to him.

Director Molly Houlahan is able to find complexity in the wordplay of these two immovable grapes, and in several moments it feels like something IS going on. Since the characters cannot not move, Houlahan has smartly staged them in visually interesting hammock-like chairs. From these macramé prisons, strikingly reminiscent of string grocery totes, the actors can swing, face each other and turn away. The cast is amusingly costumed from head to toe in 50 shades of purple by designer Christine Shaw. Actors Tommy Bazarian and Gabe Greenspan make a good team in a yin-yang sort of way. Different in temperament and physicality, they play off each other like an old comedy team. For the most part, they exceed the inherent trappings of the play’s situation with seeming ease, although even Bazarian and Greenspan are scarcely able to bring more character to these two grapes than that one is sweet and one is sour.

I don’t think Blackwell is mistaken thinking that he had a pretty good idea for a show, and he certainly has a talent for witty dialogue. Unfortunately he didn’t mine his premise deep enough. Instead of delivering a rich, fine wine, he offers us a snack.