Review by Neal Newman
May 22, 2024
Is life based on logic, probability, and scientific truth, or is it just a shower of pachinko balls? (Says the author.) Are we the cue balls in a billiard game played by monkeys? (Says me.) These are some of the many questions and ideas that streak through this play, OFF BY ONE, now showing at People’s Light. There are so many themes running through Joseph Dougherty’s play that one is tempted to run out and buy a copy to peruse them all lovingly. But it’s a world premiere, so I’ll have to wait.
The title could mean many things, but the plot device OFF BY ONE describes this: A woman hears that a not-very-famous poet has died and tries to text his son to tell him how memorable his father was. But the phone number is off by one number, so the text goes to a stranger who is curious enough to travel to a used bookstore to find an out-of-print copy of the poet’s book. Then, she calls the woman back and suggests a meeting. The stranger’s new boyfriend is appalled at this conduct since this contradicts his view of life, which is that random strange events should be ignored for more important things.
The poet, Douglas Roote, is played by David Strathairn, the renowned film star (LINCOLN, NIGHTMARE ALLEY, and many John Sayles movies.)
His performance, under the direction of longtime friend and colleague Abigail Adams, is truly astounding. The character is, as described by dramaturg Len Berkman, a man of “humble grandeur.” and as written by Dougherty, is also disarmingly funny. He lives in what is almost a shack on the shore of Long Island Sound. “My son wants me to live with him in New Jersey, but I know I’ll die on the Long Island Expressway. Anyone who dies there goes immediately to hell.” Douglas is truly a poet, but he isn’t writing much now. He once won the Pulitzer Prize and accepted it even though “I “hate the work of everyone else who won it.”
But most of his musings are from his humble workroom (most of the play has him speaking to either himself or us) and offer challenging profundities. Through many musings about old age, he remarks that he doesn’t know if he is asleep or awake (I’ll vouch for the truth of that one). He sees dragons and turtles that turn out to be other things. He marvels poetically about building a bonfire by the ocean and imagines death as a passenger in a plane making a landing.
Strathairn’s performance is a wonder of variety, resulting from a lifetime of outstanding performances. His voice caresses Daughtery’s poetry even as he is complaining and curmudgeonly. He skillfully and masterfully dominates the entire evening. Director Adams has also surrounded herself with old friends on the design team. Daniel Zimmerman’s set admirably contrasts the rundown beach house with suburban Los Angeles, where the other characters live. The lighting of Dennis Parichy creates an unreal world that pinpoints the three locations, while Carsen Joenk’s sound illuminates the ocean and shore where Douglas lives.
The number and complexity of thematic ideas are overwhelming. If I had a suggestion, it would be that Douglas is so interesting and unique that the other characters seem reduced to voicing the author’s various arguments. Their conflicts and personalities are not yet believable or exciting. I found the friendship between the texter and the stranger hard to accept. The current attempts to give them personal attributes are not as vital as they might be.
There was one powerful speech about the reality resulting from our current political corruption. The politicians say, “The world we know as the round is flat, and the moon is paper mâché and only three miles away.” It’s fascinating, but I have no idea why this belongs in the play. But I can’t blame the actors or the author—only myself. I’ll wait for that long evening that I’ll spend reading the play. Strathairn and Adams have created quite an event.
RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes with no intermission.
OFF BY ONE runs through July 7 at People’s Light at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA. Tickets can be obtained at peopleslight.org or by calling 610-644-3500.