Julianne Moore plays a young American war correspondent turned academic who now teaches Political Studies at Yale. A brief holiday with her boyfriend in the Welsh borders brings her into contact with the kind of Englishman whose culture and beliefs are a surprise and a challenge, both to her and to her relationship.
We enjoyed the play without really liking it. The story is a glib panoply of contemporary concerns - Iraq, terrorism, state of the US and UK society and government over-layed with a Freudian melange of guilt and Father/Son competition. I knew it was going to be "interesting" when it started with a discussion of Freud between Julianne Moore and a 20 year old student. If it sounds like a mess, it is - almost.
But it is saved by the absolutely wonderful performance of Bill Nighy as the father and a credible performance by Julianne Moore. But it's really his show. He plays the father of her boyfriend and lends an air of verisimilitude to his portrayal of a brilliant, lecherous carryover from the hippy/druggy sixties. One of the critics referred to it as a "guilty pleasure". Which is an apt description; because the dialog is enjoyable even though the story totally lacks subtlety and nuance.
Music Box Theater252 West 45th Street
New York, New York 10036
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