OFF-BROADWAY REVIEW: ‘Burning’ lacks depth

There are many adjectives that can be used to describe playwright Thomas Bradshaw’s work. Subtle is not one of them.

The man behind ‘Southern Promises’ and ‘The Bereaved’ has teamed with The New Group for his off-Broadway debut. ‘Burning,’ a two-hour-45-minute juggernaut of a play, proves to be an uncomfortable night at the theater that strives to engage and shock audience members. Underneath the visceral images and frank dialogue is a hodgepodge of ideas that never comes together into a coherent thesis.

We follow three story lines, all connected by some loose thread. There’s Franklin (Vladimir Versailles) and Peter (Stephen Tyrone Williams), cousins who are unexpectedly brought together over the death of Franklin’s mother. There’s Jack (Andrew Garman) and Simon (Danny Mastrogiorgio), personal and professional partners who adopt a 14-year-old aspiring actor (Evan Johnson). Then there’s Michael (Drew Hildebrand) and Katrin (Reyna de Courcy), brother-sister neo-Nazis living in Berlin.

Amazingly, Bradshaw is able to bring all of these disconnected people together (plus a few more) into a plot that always remains understandable and interesting. Credit should be given to the ambition behind the piece. ‘Burning’ takes place in multiple countries across multiple decades, and yet the playwright and director Scott Elliott step the audience through each development.

Some of the topics discussed: race, sexuality, drug addiction, familial responsibility, parenting, adoption, Emily Dickinson, racism and that hot-button issue: acting.

Unfortunately, any resonance from the plot is hijacked by graphic scenes and developments intended to jar the audience. They don’t seem to fit and don’t add much to the melee; instead of coming off as inspired, they feel insipid and gratuitous. The fact that the production overemphasizes these scenes (mostly of a sexual nature) shows that the play is lacking in other departments.

The acting is mostly enjoyable. The German accents are a little pushed, and the dialogue can feel stilted at times. A more-able cast could have filled in the holes of the play, but instead the weak spots are left to linger and distract.

Hunter Foster, playing a grown-up Chris, is quite good in his unusually small part. Tyrone Williams is likely the best of the bunch and has the most interesting character. His ordeal of being a black artist unwilling to share his race with the prestigious Berlin gallery that’s set to display his work makes for some great discussions and scenes.

But in ‘Burning,’ for every nuanced section, there’s a blunt trauma to the head. Case in point: There’s an annoyingly absurd play-within-the-play that finds Jack performing the role of an American man rescuing a Cambodian girl. Perhaps the addition of the story line was meant to elicit some laughter about the inanity of Broadway and the uneasy power that theatrical producers wield. The whole plot point, though, feels too tongue-in-cheek, and there’s no way the audience can overcome the ridiculousness and appreciate what the playwright is trying to convey.

‘Burning’ also feels long. After the 80-minute first act, there’s a sense that one knows these people and where they are headed. Further exploration is almost unnecessary, but a second act comes with as much robustness as the first.

Derek McLane’s simple set and Wendall K. Harrington’s projection design are nice additions. But they feel wasted on such a bloated piece.

Bradshaw has skill, but his latest effort doesn’t produce a memorable play, even with the beeps and whistles, or bumps and grinds.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Burning

• A production of The New Group

• Written by Thomas Bradshaw

• Directed by Scott Elliott

• Starring Hunter Foster, Jeff Biehl, Reyna de Courcy, Barrett Doss, Andrew Garman, Drew Hildebrand, Evan Johnson, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Andrew Polk, Larisa Polonsky, Adam Trese, Vladimir Versailles and Stephen Tyrone Williams

• Playing at the Acorn Theatre on Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd St. in New York City.

• Click here for more information. Tickets start at $60.

• Running time: 205 minutes

• Rating: