Harry Clarke (Vineyard Theater)

As a work-in-progress, downtown’s Dixon Place showcased Harry Clarke, written by and starring David Cale.  This one man play is now having its world premiere starring Billy Crudup (Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, The Pillowman) in a major off-Broadway venue.  Harry is a shy Midwestern boy who, during his formative years in South Bend, Indiana (Go Irish!), adopts a British accent to the dismay of his father.  An inherently shy person, he eventually moves to New York and becomes the cocky Londoner, Harry Clarke.  What follows is outrageous cunning as Harry infiltrates himself into a wealthy family.

Never dull, often funny and paced like a thriller, Harry Clarke is interesting but somehow not more than that.  Billy Crudup plays everyone, going in and out of accents and characterizations, in many conversations.  The dialogue moves quite swiftly which keeps the kettle boiling but can confuse transitions slightly.

When leaving the theater, I remembered seeing Lily Tomlin’s one woman Broadway play, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.  Hers was a tour de force performance but the play also had a moment at the end that brought a welcome, satisfying conclusion.  For me, Harry Clarke just ended.  A memory play that effectively revealed its story, gave an actor a lot of material to work with but ultimately did not have enough to say.

www.vineyardtheater.org

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