As issue plays go, “Children of a Lesser God” has sprouted a brand new one. Back in 1980, Mark Medoff’s play was all about an instructor-therapist who can’t fathom the silent reality of the deaf female student he loves, marries and ultimately loses. It reverberated with one man’s fear and guilt once he steps outside the comfort zone of being in the majority.
The first Broadway revival of “Children of a Lesser God” opened Wednesday at Studio 54, and the mutual but very different frustrations of the deaf Sarah (Lauren Ridloff) and the hearing James (Joshua Jackson) are again on full display. But something else is also apparent all these years later. In the original Broadway production, John Rubinstein’s James came off merely brash for aggressively pursuing Sarah. Director Kenny Leon has wisely kept the revival set in the post-Vietnam War era. Back in the 1970s, college instructors routinely dated, slept with and sometimes even married their students.
Today, James’s behavior is downright creepy, and he’d be fired before ever getting to take Sarah to the altar. It doesn’t help that his climbing a tree and sneaking into her dorm room window is awkwardly staged. Even on the page the scene is embarrassing to read. In Act 1, James doesn’t pay for this gross infringement on a woman’s privacy. Leon and Jackson attempt to make up for that error in Act 2, with plenty of help from Medoff, when James suddenly carries way too much guilt for his many sins of political incorrectness regarding the deaf.
The abrupt emergence of the #MeToo movement may be the least of the play’s problems. In the intervening years, the Deaf West Theatre has presented far better ways for non-speaking actors to perform on stage. At its heart, “Children of a Lesser God” is a two-hander with one actor doing all the talking.
Medoff’s play keeps telling us to let the deaf communicate for themselves, and yet out of necessity James keeps talking for his beloved Sarah. Leon does introduce projected titles above the stage. We read as well as hear all lines spoken. The problem is, when Sarah uses sign language the titles don’t tell us what she’s saying. The titles read “Sarah signs.” Deaf audiences can now follow all the dialogue, but the rest of us are back where we started.
“Children” might not exhibit all the limitations of a two-hander if any of the supporting characters were develop beyond a mere stereotype, each of which can be described with a single adjective: the rigid administrator (Anthony Edwards), the distant mother (Kecia Lewis), the lovesick student (Treshelle Edmond), the rebellious student (John McGinty), the insensitive lawyer (Julee Cerda).
Ridloff successfully projects the beautiful enigma that James loves but will never fully know. Rubinstein won the Tony Award for playing James and Jackson, making his Broadway debut, may have a shot at the prize too. I found the herculean task of one actor essentially playing two roles an exhausting challenge the first time around, much less the second.
'Dawson's Creek' 20th Anniversary: Where Are They Now? (Photos)
They grow up so fast. "Dawson's Creek," one of the classic '90s teen dramas that ran for five seasons from 1998-2003 on The WB, turns 20 this week. And most of those kids from Capeside have all gone on to bigger and better things. Heck, one of them is a four-time Oscar nominee, and another married Tom Cruise. Here's where they are now:
The WB
James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery
James Van Der Beek went from teen heartthrob to crying internet meme to spoofing on Diplo for his new series playing the famed DJ, "What Would Diplo Do?" He's also starred with Krysten Ritter in "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23."
The WB
Katie Holmes as Joey Potter
One of Katie Holmes's first post-"Dawson's" roles was as Rachel Dawes in "Batman Begins," a stark turn from the show's soapy charms, but her most recent role is a scene-stealing performance in Steven Soderbergh's "Logan Lucky," where she plays a sharp-tongued Southern belle.
The WB/Bleecker Street
Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley
Jen Lindley shook up the creek, and Michelle Williams has since shaken up Hollywood. In 2017 alone she starred in "Wonderstruck," "The Greatest Showman" and Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World" as she hunts for her fifth Oscar nomination.
The WB/Sony Pictures Entertainment
Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter
Joshua Jackson moved away from his lovably smart slacker persona with extended turns on the sci-fi series "Fringe" and most recently on Showtime's "The Affair."
The WB/Showtime
Kerr Smith as Jack McPhee
Kerr Smith has found another teen drama to lend his name to, having most recently appeared in a recurring role on Freeform's "The Fosters."
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Mary Beth Peil as Evelyn "Grams" Ryan
Grams hasn't changed one bit, as she can shoot the same stern look in "The Good Wife" as she did back in the day.
The WB/CBS
John Wesley Shipp as Mitch Leery - "The Flash"
After serving as a father and mentor to Dawson, John Wesley Shipp now looks over Barry Allen on "The Flash" (he originally played Barry Allen in an early '90s series before joining "Dawson's Creek.")
The WB/The CW
Busy Philipps as Audrey Liddell
Busy Philipps was a late addition to the cast of "Dawson's Creek," but she's grown right along with the rest of the cast. She had a long stint on "Cougar Town" and most recently appeared in the HBO comedy "Vice Principals."
The WB/HBO
Michael Pitt as Henry Parker
Michael Pitt's Henry Parker was a recurring character in Season 3 as a football star and love interest for Jen, but he really made his bones as Jimmy Darmody in "Boardwalk Empire." He's also appeared most recently in "Ghost in the Shell" and the indie "I Origins."
The WB/Fox Searchlight
Chad Michael Murray as Charlie Todd
Just before he got his own teen drama in "One Tree Hill," Chad Michael Murray appeared in Season 5 of "Dawson's Creek" as a womanizing newcomer who dates both Jen and Joey. He most recently appeared on ABC's "Agent Carter" and CMT's "Sun Records."
The WB/ABC
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James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson have all thrived since leaving Capeside
They grow up so fast. "Dawson's Creek," one of the classic '90s teen dramas that ran for five seasons from 1998-2003 on The WB, turns 20 this week. And most of those kids from Capeside have all gone on to bigger and better things. Heck, one of them is a four-time Oscar nominee, and another married Tom Cruise. Here's where they are now:
Robert Hofler, TheWrap's lead theater critic, has worked as an editor at Life, Us Weekly and Variety. His books include "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson," "Party Animals," and "Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to A Clockwork Orange, How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke All the Taboos." His latest book, "Money, Murder, and Dominick Dunne," is now in paperback.