Theater review by Stuart Miller…

Strings McCrane, a music-and-movie star with more acolytes than actual friends or family,  loves to hear himself talk, so talk he does. 

 “Hold On to Me Darling” is written by Kenneth Lonergan, a master of dialogue among the self-deluded and self-denying, and Strings is played by Adam Driver, whose vibrancy and physically commanding presence fills the tiny Lucille Lortel Theatre. So, for a time, we’re pretty happy to watch and listen as Strings pontificates about love, fame, the meaning of life and his recently deceased Mama. And, within the first five minutes, Driver– who looks great in a cowboy hat–  is stripped down to just his boxers, so there is that. 

On the other hand, when the play was first staged in 2016 (with an equally charming Timothy Olyphant as Strings), many critics noted that it felt shapeless and baggy. The play’s run time is still listed as 2 hours and 40 minutes but this time around the finish line doesn’t actually arrive until after the three hour mark. 

The second act is stronger than the first and adds emotional heft to what at first seems like a simple take down of how celebrity corrupts not only the famous but nearly everyone in their orbit but throughout there’s not much forward momentum in the plot. By the end, despite the crackling dialogue, dynamic Driver and a poignant final scene, your initial reaction is likely to be, “Well, I wish that had been thirty minutes shorter.” And, honestly, even if it had been scaled down to that  projected runtime, you still might walk out with the same reaction. 

Beyond Driver, the other significant newcomer is Heather Burns. The play opens with Strings mourning Mama and Jimmy calling up the hotel’s masseuse to rub away the pain. But Strings decides Nancy is the only real person he knows. He quickly beds or her, or perhaps she beds him– despite being both awed by meeting her idol and married with kids, she quickly sees a way to change her life. Burns is good but her opportunism shines through too brightly, leaving no doubt about whether Nancy can be anything more than a ruthless gold digger. (Frank Wood is excellent in the small but crucial role of Strings’ long absent father.)

The returning cast is superb: Keith Nobbs as Strings’ fawning assistant Jimmy (always “at the corner of Beck and Call”) is a one-note character but Nobbs has impeccable comic delivery. CJ Wilson infuses Strings’ brother Duke with an intelligence but also a weariness and desperation that allows Strings to drag him along in his harebrained scheme to become authentic by opening a feed store in their dead-end home town. And Adelaide Clemens returns as Essie, the second cousin twice removed who recently lost both her father and husband in one drag racing accident; she is so sweet as to appear simple yet she is able to stand up to Strings and tell him what reality looks like– “There’s more important things in this world than your happiness. Maybe if you ever realized that you’d be a little happier.”– even if she can’t always resist him. 

There’s much to like about the play. And yet Longeran, whose “Lobby Hero” and “This is Our Youth” (and screenplay for “You Can Count on Me”) are tightly focused doesn’t feel fully in control of his narrative– in a play this long, the resolution of Strings’ relationship with Nancy should not feel rushed yet it somehow plays like an afterthought. 

Late in the play, Strings notes that every move he has made over the course of the action has been a mistake. Giving in to every impulse and believing he can always apologize his bad behavior away makes Strings and the play feel like a commentary not just on celebrity but on America’s moral rot. In fact, Strings and those surrounding him spell that out for us (which isn’t really necessary). These issues certainly felt timely in 2016 and remain so today. 

If you’re hankering for a healthy hit of Adam Driver, “Darling” has plenty. It’s an open question as to whether after three hours you’ll think it’s too much.

“Hold On To Me Darling” is playing at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street, through December 22nd. The run time is listed as 2 hours and 40 minutes but as noted, it’s definitely longer.

Photos: Julieta Cervantes