Steven Levenson's The Language of Trees, a Roundabout Underground production slated to bow Oct. 29, is at once an anti-war play and an exploration of loss. The Off-Broadway drama has gritty realistic elements and flights of fancy. But at heart, it's a family drama, recounting what happens when an American translator, Denton (Michael Hayden), volunteers to go into a Middle East war zone, despite his wife Loretta's (Natalie Gold) warnings not to. He is captured by the enemy and events spin out of control, not only for Denton but also for his family, including his 7-year-old son (Gio Perez) and an intrusive neighbor (Maggie Burke) who has her own baggage. It is a difficult play on many fronts, most pointedly in Levenson's hybrid genre. As an example, former President Clinton (Michael Warner), as a figment of the captive's imagination, makes an appearance. But it is equally daunting to stage and act in its black-box space.
- 10/22/2008
- by Simi Horwitz
- backstage.com
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