MÉNAGE À TWADDLE
At the conclusion of Yussef El Guindi’s new play Threesome it isn’t unreasonable to ask oneself the following question: What does the semi-comic attempt of three young arty types to engage in group sex in an unnamed American metropolis have to do with the politically motivated, state sanctioned gang-rape of a female protester in Cairo’s Tahrir Square? Having watched the play I can confidently say—I don’t know. And neither, it seems, does Mr. Guindi, who makes an unconvincing attempt to create a meaningful connection between these two disparate elements in his latest two-act.
Threesome begins in a bedroom, where Egyptian writer Leila (Alia Attallah) and her American-raised boyfriend Rashid (Karan Oberoi) make trivial observations and debate banalities (such as whether or not men suffer from the same “body issues” as women), their lines tumbling out of their mouths like wooden blocks of hollow but premeditated sentences. Then Doug (Quinn Franzen), a handsome neurotic American, enters, wearing only socks and a wristwatch. He apologizes for having taken so long in the bathroom, explaining that he had an unexpected bout of diarrhea. This reminds him of another humorous diarrhea-during-sex anecdote, which he then relates. Hilarity does not ensue. Neither does the planned orgy. During intermission I reflect on the fact that the only memorable thing about Act I is Mr. Franzen’s penis.
Although Mr. Guindi’s play lacks nuance, suspense, stakes, surprises, believability, attention to detail, and has almost nothing worthwhile to say, it probably could have been staged better. Ms. Attallah and Mr. Oberon clearly need more time with the script. But even with that in mind it’s uncertain whether Ms. Attallah is the right person for her role. To be fair, she gets no help from director Chris Coleman, who manages to flatten out what few vertical features there are in the script’s dramatic landscape, consistently making the easiest, most obvious choices, which feel like no choices at all.
There is one part in Threesome that works, that feels authentic and alive. Towards the end of the second act, as Doug photographs Leila dressed in a burka for her book cover, he tells her of how once, in a war zone, a starving, burka-clad young mother offered him sex in exchange for money, and he accepted. The story itself is as shaky as the rest of the script but Doug’s description of his conflicting feelings hits home. And if Mr. Guindi hadn’t had Leila, once alone on the stage, angrily strip naked for the audience in place of a climax, I might have left the theater with mixed feelings about what I’d seen.
photos by Hunter Canning
Threesome
Portland Center Stage
and A Contemporary Theatre (ACT)
59E59 Theaters
ends on August 23, 2015
for tickets, call 212.753.5959
or visit www.59e59.org
