The First Post-Bush Bash

One Fell Swoop imagines politics in 2009

Comments (0) By Steven Leigh Morris Wednesday, Jul 25 2007

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To say that Mortensen’s Judge Barron lacks edge sounds like a criticism, but his performance is in perfect keeping with the character’s moral vacuity. Just close your eyes and repeat his last name. As his wife, Roylance brings a brittle, Hillaryesque breadth of experience to her demurring viper of a character, and Dolan’s portrayal of Everywoman Caitlin Reese has the pleasing authenticity of being neither too glam nor simplistically heroic.

Christopher Game directs the 15-member ensemble in all corners of Joel Daavid’s metaphor-laced set. (A serpent coils around one panel of video screens, giving new meaning to “Don’t tread on me.”) Traffic control and wavering focus emerge as small directorial issues, but the heart and heartlessness of the play sustain a strong pulse.

Generation of vipers: Dolan, Armbruster and Williams (Photo by Lindsay Allbaugh)

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Its nihilistic implication is that we’re in for more of the same national slippage. It doesn’t matter who’s in power. The game’s the thing. The nation is just an unfortunate playing field.

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