Describe the Night (Atlantic Theater Company)

An ambitious play, Describe the Night has been written by Rajiv Joseph, the Pulitzer Prize finalist for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.  On Broadway in 2011, that play featured Robin Williams in the titular role.  A tiger haunts the streets of Baghdad searching for the meaning of life within the backdrop of the Iraq invasion, encountering both American and Iraqi soldiers.  Describe the Night also takes us to war, this time the 1920 Russian – Polish military conflict.  We begin this three act epic with a conversation between two soldiers.  One is making notes in his diary.  Sample entry:  describe the night.

Our diarist turns out to be a famous Soviet writer.  This play crisscrosses nine decades to tell its story, back and forth, between 1920 and 2010.  Based on historical people and events, Describe the Night is certainly about Russia, the NKVD (secret police) and subordination under the Stalinist regime.   It is also a multigenerational saga with that diary as a connecting thread.  A commentary on Russia in the 20th Century and also a mirror peering at Russia today.  What makes this play so compelling is the juxtaposition of serious, hard hitting history wrapped in elements of the mysterious.  Is it mystical, perhaps Russian folklore?  Is it fantasy?

Unique and brimming with themes, Describe the Night is excellent theater.  Given the current Russian investigation in Washington, Mr. Joseph forces us to face some very uncomfortable truths.  Or are they lies?  Who decides?  Even journalists are targets.  Sound familiar?  Adding to the timeliness of the material is superb writing.  The path is not chronological so all three acts come together in a wholly satisfying finale.

Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, Describe the Night is chock full of excellent scenes.  Vova is the climbing Soviet agent played by Max Gordon Moore (Indecent) in an intensely wrought, physical performance.  As Yevgenia, the woman in the center of the storm, Tina Benko (Julius Caesar) flipped between humor and pathos, grounding the story so the big themes were personalized and heartfelt.  Tim Mackabee (The Elephant Man with Bradley Cooper) somehow managed to create a set design that is sparse, depressing and utilitarian yet somehow magical, mysterious and even hopeful.  Describe the Night is an absorbing, surprising, creative and intelligent piece of theater.

www.atlantictheater.org

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