A Guide for the Homesick

    By Joseph Cervelli

Despite two outstanding performances, McKinley Belcher III as Teddy and Uly Schlesinger as Jeremy  Ken Urban's "A Guide for the Homesick" at DR2 is a choppy, mess of a play that meanders all over. You also never have any strong feelings for the characters no matter how well both actors each play two different roles.

The action takes place in a hotel room in Amsterdam. Both enter quite jovial and your first thought might be that they are friends though far from it. They are laughing carrying six packs of beer and they have just met a little while ago in the hotel bar. So, what is Jeremy doing in Teddy's room you might wonder. Your  first thought might be that he came up there for sex though Jeremy does firmly insist that he is not gay. It seems that he missed his flight to Boston and has no hotel room. Are we to believe that he expected someone to ask him to share a room? Already this does not make a lot of sense. Teddy seems to be more jittery speaking about a friend of his, the unseen Ed, who left suddenly for the States. It seems Ed was not himself the day before his departure and Teddy is concerned if he even got onto the plane. His phone rings constantly and it is from Ed's fiancee Margo. Why doesn't Teddy answer it as Jeremy asks. His reasoning for not answering it is not to scare her which makes no sense. More like inconsiderateness. 

Teddy who is gay thinks that Jeremy might also be so he casually touches him which Jeremy is repelled by. Teddy thinks it might be because he is Black.  Jeremy assures him that is not the case which is indeed it is not, but more of someone who cannot face his sexuality. Jeremy changes the subject and speaks about his recent year in Uganda as a medical assistant. With the help of Abigail Hoke Brady's lighting which dims a bit there is a flashback of Jeremy helping a gay Ugandan (Nicholas) who has been tested for AIDS (negative). He has a married lover and things are as expected extremely homophobic in that country. Here Belcher III takes the role (excellent African accent) of Nicholas. The action bounces back from Amsterdam to Uganda frequently and as horrific as the conditions are there for gay people the play does not bring forth any new information we are not sadly aware of. It seems the playwright's intent by his interaction with Nicholas,  Jeremy suddenly realizes why his engagement to his fiancée has suddenly ended. Not exactly anything new here and even when Jeremy and Teddy eventually have sex it is hardly surprising.

And then the lighting switches back to the present time but only we are now again in another flashback. Jeremy has taken the role of the manic Ed who may have overdosed on meds and pot. He is jumping all over the room as Teddy is trying to calm him down. Eventually, Jeremy who has been "in the closet" so to speak confronts Teddy about his possibly being in love with his boyhood friend Ed which hastened his departure. 

Belcher III quite good in both "The Royale" and "Death of a Salesman" gave an especially bravura performances in the unforgettable "The Light," a few seasons ago. He again proves he is among our finest actors around. Schlesinger does very well as the confused Jeremy and his role as the unstable Ed is pitch perfect. 

Shira Milikowsky's direction is as good as it can possibly be though she can not make a lot of sense of the absurdly deficient conclusion. 

Speaking of something not making sense, first there is a knock on the door and when Teddy opens it, there are what looks like wash cloths or small towels in an open wooden container. Then later when Jeremy goes out of the room he is soaked by rain you see pouring down. Is the housekeeping service walking around with no overhang and getting soaked? And this being a hotel I would think the corridor would be indoors not like a motel. This was not quite thought out by scenic designer Lawrence Moten III and neither is the play. 

Photos: Russ Rowland

Tickets are available at the DR 2 Theater 103 East 15th Street. Limited engagement ends February 2.