Review: The Receptionist at Trinity Rep

Adam Bock's The Receptionist is billed as a dark comedy. The title character was written with Janice Duclos in mind. That is with good reason. Duclos is a gifted actress and a more-gifted comedienne.

The play opens in a bare room with a monologue by Mr. Raymond (Timothy Crowe, back from a year-long sabbatical) about fly-fishing. We learn that Mr. Raymond loves to fly fish, but throws most of the fish he catches, back. He keeps only the fish that are unfortunate enough to have caught the hook in its gill. Bleeding the fish out underwater, Mr. Raymond says, is the most humane way to kill a fish. They become oxygen deprived and "go to sleep".

In a seeming Non sequitur, the stage is transformed into a vague, banal, office. It could be a paper company in Scranton or a psychologist's office in Chicago. There we meet Beverly (Janice Duclos), the title character. The reception area is Beverly's domain. Motherly and nosy, Beverly knows everything that goes on in the office, and she may or may not be smart enough to keep it to herself.

We also meet Beverly's co-worker, Lorraine (Angela Brazil) ; she is a stereotype of the woman in the office who has never quite learned how to be discrete. Her clothes are a bit too bright and far too tight. Her hair is has breadth and volume, as does her mouth. Beverly, the receptionist, gets to mother Lorraine through a string of personal and professional crises, especially the narcissistic and un-seen ex-boyfriend Glen.

If Waiting for Godot is your idea of a laugh-riot, this is a comedy. If not, well...between the vapid conversation, the overhead lighting that is as brutally garish as the piped-in Muzak and stark surroundings, it is more like the first circle of hell. Fortunately, much of that is intentional.

It isn't until Mr. Dart (Timothy John Smith) arrives from the Central Office that things get interesting and sinister. If the CIA out-sourced its interrogation and torture business (pretending for a moment that the U.S. uses torture in its interrogations), this is the company that would bid on it.

The questioning of a 'client' has gone awry and Mr. Dart from the Central Office needs to "talk" to Mr. Raymond about it.

Duclos does a fine job as Beverly. In fact, for what they have to work with, all the actors give more than acceptable performances. Timothy Crowe is harried and introspective as Mr. Raymond. Angela Brazil does a sit-com presentation of Lorraine and it works. (I would have had Lorraine's nails painted...but that is a tiny detail.) Timothy John Smith can move from affable to psychotic with a turn of the head. The lighting is great and the sound design effectively supports the production. From the too-tight and too-short skirt that Lorraine wears to the kitschy sweaters that Beverly favors, William Lane nails the costume design.

Unfortunately, the set design is obstructive and ineffective. I spent much of the 70-minute play watching Duclos act from the clavicle up. I think I understand what Eugene Lee was going for, but I wonder if he only watched rehearsals standing up in the back row. The text references, pretty significantly at the end, Beverly's desk lamp. I could barely see the lamp, never mind deciphering if the lamp was on or off. The partition being brought down four inches would make a world of difference in how the audience can access the main character.

The production is schizophrenically different (and better) when Duclos gets out from behind the partitioned desk.

By design, the characters are unlikable. There is an attempt to humanize them and for the Mr. Raymond character, it works. The thin plot has a terrific twist that is deftly delivered, but then never capitalized on. Director Curt Columbus misses easy opportunities to dramatically ramp up the tension. The final scene, as Beverly is taken to the Central Office for questioning, has all the elements that can make an audience squirm. In this case, we barely get to experience Beverly's fear before the play is over.

Talkbacks will be held after every performance of The Receptionist. Audiences are invited to share their response to the play's production and themes for approximately twenty minutes.

Regular performances start at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday through Sundays with selected Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 2:00 p.m. in the Dowling Theater through January 11, 2009

Ticket prices for Trinity Rep's 45th Season are $20-60. Trinity Rep continues to offer a limited number of $20 tickets on sale for each performance.

For more information, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.trinityrep.com