Dig

By Joseph Cervelli

Theresa Rebeck has always been a very reliable and versatile playwright. No two of her works ever seem the same. And she has always had excellent casts. While I found her latest "Dig" at 59E59 engrossing there were a number of reservations I had with it. One problem is I am not sure if she is as adept at directing as playwriting. I would loved to have seen what another director would have done to better shape this play.

The unusual title refers to a small and lovely looking plant shop (cozily designed by Christopher Swader and Justin Swader.) Roger (Jeffrey Bean) is the proprietor and it appears that the shop is his whole life. He learned the love of plants from his mother at an early age and lives a solitary life. You get the feeling he has few friends or relatives that he associates with. Bean plays the part well although has a tendency to shout a bit more than necessary. Still he is believable and likable as the withdrawn Roger. Well, withdrawn, that is, until in the more explosive second act. His one acquaintance more than friend is Lou (a very believable Triney Sandoval) who also acts as his bookkeeper. Lou seems mostly unhappy and for good cause. His daughter Megan (a superb Andrea Syglowski) has attempted suicide either purposely or by accidentally overdosing on pills and vodka. And to make matters worse we shortly find out (no spoiler here) that through a customer Molly (Mary Bacon) Megan  left her young son in her car and he succumbed to the heat. It is apparent that Lou has had his share of grief with raising the adopted Megan. He claims he loves her and when they in the presence of Roger he shows affection for her. When she is not he castigates her for her behavior through the years. He also has two biological boys who apparently were perfect children. With the amount of anger he shows it is no wonder she has grown into a woman with a great deal of issues. It becomes Roger who starts to give her a chance and forgiveness starts to change this angry woman's persona. 

Another character is Roger's driver Everett (Greg Keller)  who spends his time delivering plants while being stoned. I have admired Keller far more in other plays than here. Not really his fault because Rebeck has him being constantly on pot acting too doltish which becomes very annoying and unnecessary after a while. It also leads to something much more serious in the second act.

Without giving much away, there is another character who appears in the second act. It takes a bit of time before you find out what he has to do with the play. It is possible that you might conclude  what happens understandable as what makes Megan behave the way she does or have a completely different viewpoint. I admire Rebeck for making us think about Megan's rationale.   While the play certainly deals with forgiveness shown by both Roger and Molly, it also has to do with being a victim. There are some who feel they have no right to be happy and vicimization plays a dangerous part in their lives. I admired that aspect of the play. I had wished the interaction between Megan and this other figure could have been more fully been developed than it was. 

The ending was a bit too tidy but still satisfactory. 

There is a lot to discuss and comprehend here. While not all successful, it is still worth a visit. 

PHOTOS: #1 and 4 Justin Swader; #2 and #3 James Leynse

Tickets are available at Primary Stage Production 59E59 Theater A at 59 East 59th Street As of this writing the limited engagement ends October 22.