Published on Reviews Off-Broadway
The time of the
gay stereotype is thankfully over. Theater no longer has to show gays as a tragic
sideshow or sassy gay friend, now gays can be anything. Log Cabin chooses to show them as confused defenders of the
status quo against the trans community. Such is progress.
Log Cabin is set over 7 years of
rapid political and societal advancement in the gay and lesbian community –
from 2012 to 2017. And we view these changes through the well-meaning eyes of one
gay and one lesbian couple, who are longtime friends. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Philip
James Brannon play Ezra and Chris, an interracial couple who seem pretty well
suited to each other. Pam and Jules, the lesbian couple, are played by Cindy
Cheung and Dolly Wells respectively. They seem easy and at ease with each
other, full of easy tender moments instead ravishing desire.
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| Cindy Cheung, Dolly Wells, Jessie Tyler Ferguson, Phillip James Brannon |
The play opens
with Ezra and Chris telling the women about Ezra’s father’s unacceptance of
them as a couple, which astonishes Ezra. This discussion is followed quickly by
Ezra’s uncomfortableness about the status of his oldest friend, then Helen, now
Henry. The juxtaposition is Spielbergian in it’s painful obviousness. Ezra also
gets to flail about uncomfortably as Pam and Jules discuss having a baby: you
see Chris wants a child and Ezra does not. Not only does Ezra not want a child, he does
not want to talk about it.
Time flies by and
soon the baby has arrived. Since he doesn’t speak, various characters get to
have imagined conversations with the child to explore their insecurities. Henry
(né Helen) also drops by for dinner. He brings Myna, a free spirit andlove interest, along. Henry and Myna are
played by Ian Harvie and Talene Monahon. What follows is why one should never
decide to have a long-postponed conversation with your transsexual ex-prom date
in front of strangers. Mitchell Ezra manages to offend everyone even as
he is admitting to his own insecurities.
Jules disappears into the baby’s room, only to be joined later by Henry
who then flirts / berates Jules into masturbating in some bizarre self-misogynistic
way. Perhaps the underlying erotic tension of the moment only eluded me, but
the moment seemed forced and artificial.
After spending
the evening fighting, Ezra decides to accede to Chris’ desire to have a child, because
that is one of the top reasons to bring a new person into the world, to make up
after a fight. Then Ezra and Chris make this magic moment even sweeter by going
to Henry and asking him to go off testosterone in order to get pregnant and
partner with them in forming a family. Remember, when we last saw Henry - only
moments earlier - he was being an asshole to the boys and cheating with a
lesbian mom, but such are how happy homes are made. For a moment I wondered if Log Cabin was actually written by
a member of the moral majority to show how disgusting the homosexuals really
are, I am still not convinced it wasn’t.
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| Ian Harvie, Talene Monahon, Dolly Wells, Jessie Tyler Furgeson & Phillip James Brannon |
When another
year has passed and we next we see the company, Henry is pregnant (looking
remarkably like the first pregnant man spread in Time a few years ago), Jules
and Pam don’t discuss that evening
and Ezra and Chris are broken up over an infidelity. In one of the few moments
that felt real to me, Cindy Cheung gives a heartfelt speech on the meaning of
relationships and forgiveness that almost made me forgive this show. Almost.
Log Cabin was written
with incredible wit and verve by Jordan Harrison, but I could have used some real
emotion. I don’t enjoy saying this, I though Mr. Harrison’s piece Marjorie
Prime was a fantastic show and was looking forward to Log Cabin. Pam MacKinnon does an excellent job of direction,
helping ground the piece as much as possible. Log Cabin is very good when it isn’t frustrating or overly
showy. But those moments don’t come often enough for me to recommend this.
Log Cabin
Playwright:
Jordan Harrison
Director: Pam
MacKinnon
Cast: Phillip
James Brannon, Cindy Cheung, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ian Harvie, Talene Monahon,
Dolly Wells