Review by Ron Fassler . . .
When the lights go up on Preston Max Allen’s new play Caroline, which opened tonight at off-Broadway’s MCC Theater, we see a 28-year-old mother (Chloë Grace Moretz) and her 9-year-old child (River Lipe-Smith) seated in a booth at a non-descript diner. The luggage at the side of the table, a subtle indication that they are on the road, hints that they can’t risk leaving their stuff in the car. Even before a line of dialogue is spoken, it doesn’t take a detective to figure out they’re on the run. The child (Caroline) has her left arm in a cast and sling. The conversation is mundane about what to eat and how far their destination is. The playwright is both coy and careful not to deliver too much exposition or tip his hand. Then:
CAROLINE: Who’s paying for the hospital?
MADDIE: You had insurance.
CAROLINE: Is Brian going to take it away?
MADDIE: No, uh. You’re on my insurance, so he can’t do that.
CAROLINE: Are we going back?
Beat.
MADDIE: Uh. No, babe. I don’t think we’re going back.
The economy in the writing here is commendable. We never get too much more about Brian. He’s a catalyst to the inciting incident but relatively unimportant after that. What’s important is the connection between mother and child and where they’re heading and what their lives will be like as they embark on a journey neither is too sure about. Later comes this exchange:
MADDIE: Do you have any thoughts on what you want your name to be?
Caroline takes another bite, mostly to stall.
CAROLINE: Kind of.
Caroline is a little nervous. Maddie tries harder to make the conversation feel warm.
MADDIE: Do you have a name you think of for yourself?
Beat. Caroline nods.
MADDIE: I’m excited to hear it.
Beat, as Caroline assesses how much to trust her.
CAROLINE: Caroline.
MADDIE: Caroline?
Caroline nods.
MADDIE: That’s really pretty.
You would think we’re into the crux of the matter and how changing identities is the most important component to escaping their situation. But slow down. They’re not changing identities and only one is changing their name: Caroline (their birth name is never mentioned). At 9-years-old, Caroline is transitioning. And though it’s not the major device that drives the plot, it’s key to what makes this play more unique and probing than just the story of a Maddie and Caroline’s attempts to find and secure a safe space. Their destination is the home of Maddie’s parents, from whom she’s been estranged for ten years to see if there’s a way to get any sort of financial help.
Enter Amy Landecker as Rhea, Maddie’s mother (we never meet the father who is conveniently away on a business trip). That may seem like a plot contrivance to make the play about three generations of feminine energy and it is. But considering how strong the storytelling is, the character didn’t feel missed. David Cromer, one the most in-demand theatre directors for the past decade or so is, as usual, expert with his actors, delivering precision, no-fuss staging. However, I question the design of the playing area that is constructed as slim and wide as possible, using every inch of the stage’s dimensions. In the first scene set in the diner, the action is tucked into a corner way up stage right which is also where the play’s closing scene is staged. In a small theatre like this it had the effect of looking through the wrong end of binoculars. It had to have been mutually agreed upon by Cromer and his scenic designer Lee Jellinek, but I found it awkward and problematic. That said, the costumes by David Hyman are perfect and Tyler Micoleau’s lighting is strongly effective.
Moretz is returning to the theatre after making her New York stage debut at the age of 16 in Steven Soderbergh’s The Library at the Public in 2014. With Caroline, she showcases a comfortability onstage which I suppose shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise having worked professionally in film and television since the age of seven. At ease physically and emotionally, she plumbs the depths with this character, never pushing for a moment. It’s a beautiful performance.
As Caroline, 11-year-old River Lipe-Smith shines. With a comic timing that belies their years, they never condescend to cutesiness and are always in command of their instrument. With a quickfire ability to get to the marrow of the moment, they are consistently clear and focused, and the onstage relationship that is formed with Moretz cannot be improved upon. Amy Landecker, an actress I’ve long admired but never had the pleasure of seeing in play, is a revelation here as Rhea. Her hair perfectly coiffed, she uses her cashmere sweater as a layer to protect herself from whatever ill-wind blows her way. When she goes toe-to-toe with Moretz, the sparks fly in a controlled and devastating manner.
Whether Rhea can see Maddie as the recovered person that she is, rather than the drug-addicted, defiant young girl she once was, is the play’s core issue. And besides Maddie and Caroline’s mother-daughter relationship, there’s an emerging one of grandmother-granddaughter which takes hold in a natural fashion. The conflicts are genuine, the dialogue rarely over-reaches, and the result is pure satisfaction. In less than 90 minutes, we are treated to a play with guts and with teeth. Caroline cares about its trio of characters and treats them honestly and without saccharine or pretense. I felt invested in their fates and, I’m willing to take a bet, you will too.
Caroline is at the MCC Theater, 511 W 52nd Street, NYC now through November 16th. For ticket information, please visit: https://mcctheater.org/tix/
Photos by: Emilio Madrid.
Headline photo: Chloë Grace Moretz.
