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In a short story called "The Rich Boy," F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, "Let me tell you about the rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand."
This gap between the rich and the rest of us and the way it impacts our ability to communicate are at the heart of Bess Wohl's play "In," making its world premiere at Pioneer Theatre Company.
"In" starts off promisingly enough; Wohl has a gift for writing dialogue that sounds like real people talking and draws you into their lives. But early in Act II, it loses track of where it's going — like its teenage character Jordy, the play seems unable to focus — and it ends up in such a bizarre and unanticipated place that even the consistently interesting and impassioned performances of its cast can't keep it from imploding.
The play's premise is straightforward and timely. Jordy (Jason Ralph), an indifferent student, is intent on getting into Harvard, partly because it's expected but mostly because he thinks it will open the doors to a successful business career. His ambitious mother, Pammie (Alexandra Neil), who has little going in her own life, is even more intent on getting him there, so she hires Sarah (Julie Jesneck), a tutor and Harvard graduate herself, to steer him through his SAT test and college-application process.
Sarah, an aspiring writer who is struggling to complete her first book, has her own issues. When she tells Jordy, "You don't want to wake up at 28 and realize you never figured out what you want," she might be talking about herself.
The play's best scenes chart Sarah and Jordy breaking through to each other and learning to work together, culminating in the Act I finale, where Jordy takes the exam while Pam and Sarah fire questions at him from each side. Director Charles Morey's dynamic staging uses the women's movement to heighten the tension and physically reflect Jordy's stressful mental state.
But these complex characters disintegrate into one-dimensional caricatures. The intriguing ambiguity that defines their relationship dissolves into a simplistic good-versus-evil morality play in the play's concluding scenes, which strain credulity to the breaking point. The question is why.
It appears that Wohl's overriding belief that the rich are manipulative and vindictive, even cruel, drives the play in this direction and turns it into a cheap thriller. (She even makes Jordy's absent father a hateful hedge-fund financier who deals in trading mortgages.) It's certainly acceptable for characters to deceive each other; what doesn't work is for them to completely surprise the audience and make us feel betrayed.
Jesneck's intense, well-intentioned Sarah; Niel's brittle, self-obsessed Pammie; and Ralph's confused and conflicted Jordy lend the play coherence and strength, and Morey's direction is fluid and well paced. James Wolk's set is especially striking: What appear to be patterned green panels transform into giant SAT answer sheets under Ann Wrightson's modulating and responsive lighting. Matthew Tibbs' music deftly varies the mood.
In spite of PTC's strong production, "In" is disappointing, especially in comparison to Wohl's "Touch(ed)," which debuted last year and has been nominated for several new play awards. Wohl is a promising young playwright; here's hoping her next effort is more consistent in achieving that promise.
Stage review: Pioneer Theatre Company's 'In'
Strong production, insightful performances, can't compensate for the script deficiencies in Bess Wohl's "In."
When • Reviewed Feb. 18; Mondays through Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through March 5, with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m.
Where • Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 South University St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $24 to $42 with discounts for students and groups; grades K–12 are half price on Mondays and Tuesdays. Call 581-6961 or visit http://www.pioneertheatre.org for tickets and information.
Running time • Two hours 30 minutes, including intermission.