The lack of non-heat-related connections between the monologues is one example of A Great Place’s lack of purpose. But the unfortunate consequences of the play's listlessness are much worse than that. The first monologue, “Stars in the City,” takes a supernatural turn that cheapens what otherwise might have been the strongest monologue of the night. The last one, “Phantom Limb,” features lines that seem better on the page than spoken aloud. Despite dealing with a mad sexologist's combination of voyeurism, exhibitionism, and an amputee fetish, it resorts to surprisingly and disappointingly conventional motifs at too many points.
Does every play have to have a deeper meaning? Some plays, like some forms of any art medium, are meant simply for lighthearted enjoyment. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this; in fact, a philosophically shallow play can even be the most captivating kind of theater if the storytelling is strong enough (Proof didn’t win the Pulitzer for its political significance). When a play makes an open call for pathos, however, and particularly when it does so by using elements of everyday modern life, it needs a thematic framework stronger than how the heat makes people crazy. A Great Place To Be From aims to be something more than a series of personality studies, but as a result of its confused deeper intentions the end product only tarnishes its strengths.
A Great Place To Be From by Normann Lasca. Directed by Geordie Broadwater. Starring Matthew Johnson (Paul), Jacques Roy (D), Andrew Zimmerman (Gerry), and Kim Martin-Cotten (Anne). Sets by Tristan Jeffers; costumes by Mike Floyd; lighting by Eric Southern; sound by Anthony Gabriele. Photos by Rachel Roberts. Opened Sept. 8, 2008. Running time: 2 HOURS, 15 MIN.
A Great Place to Be From runs through Sepember 27. Tickets can be purchased here.
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