BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

DATELINE: 7 August 2003

FLESH AND BLOOD

Riding high on the success of his Pulitzer-winning novel and Oscar-winning film "The Hours," novelist Michael Cunningham should enjoy a new wave of appreciation with the adaptation by Peter Gaitens of his1995 novel, FLESH AND BLOOD, a sprawling saga that follows three generations of a dysfuntional family. Director Doug Hughes has assembled a splendid cast featuring Tony-winner Cherry Jones as well as the playwright himself.

Weighing in at nearly three-and-a-half-hour, FLESH AND BLOOD tells the story of Mary and Constantine Stassos, their children, Susan, Billy and Zoe, and two grandchildren, Ben and Jamal. The play opens some time in the near future as Jamal sets to rest the ashes of his daughter's two grandfathers and looks back at the travails of this complex family.

Jump back to the late 1940s when Mary (Jones) and Constantine (John Sierros) are love-struck adolescents in Newark, NJ. She wants a better life than her mother and he, a Greek immigrant, longs for the American dream. They marry, raise their children in a progressive era and discovering where they fit in this new and changing world.

With a plot structure as complex as any Dickens novel, Cunningham's characters find themselves deeply entrenched in a variety of contemporary issues as the story moves to a singular resolution in the present day. Susan, the apple of her father's eye, marries young to escape the domestic tension. The rebellious Billy changes his name to Will, to coincide with his new identity as a gay man. And, the floundering Zoe give birth to an out-of-wedlock, mixed race child and contracts AIDS along her journey.

Gaitens writes wonderful dialogue in which the simplest conversations are loaded with subtext, as when Mary, talking about the weather, succinctly illustrates the true nature of her soul. "I love winter. I love a cold, crisp day." Cherry Jones is captivating as the repressed, unapproachable Mary and she wears her character like a perfectly tailored suit: buttoned-up, neatly pressed and unflappable.

John Sierros thunders as the patriarch, Constantine. Martha Plimpton effectively harnesses her complex role as the impressionable Zoe. Jessica Hecht's flippant delivery adds a mysteriously quirky element to her Susan. And, playwright Gaitens' portrayal of the conflicted son, Billy, comes in at a consistent--perhaps, too much so--fevered pitch.

An able supporting cast juggles the roles of the numerous characters that move in and out of the lives of the Stassos family. Most notable is Jeff Weiss as Cassandra, Zoe's drag queen friend and Godparent to her son, Jamal (superbly played by Airron Doss). With stereotypical flamboyance, Cassandra proves to be the most grounded member of the family and Weiss stupendously displays her heart and strength.

Hughes manages the impossible as he keeps us riveted for a such healthy stretch of time. Wrangling this large ensemble, he utilizes every inch of the New York Theatre Workshop's large stage. Scenic designs by Christine Jones create a haunting forest environment, complementing Cunningham's frequent tree references. Lighting designs by Scott Zielinksi guide us handily and unobtrusively. FLESH AND BLOOD, a sumptuous feast for heart and mind.