Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Nicky Silver's Dark Farce

The Maiden’s Prayer: They flip through partners like frantic shoppers at Nordy’s.
The Maiden’s Prayer: They flip through partners like frantic shoppers at Nordy’s.

Andrew, a gay character in Nicky Silver’s Maiden’s Prayer, says he looks for three things in a man: the size of his Manhattan apartment, if he has cable, and external beauty. Then he pauses, sensing the audience expects much more in a relationship. “Frankly,” he adds, having read our minds, “I think inner beauty is a little too much to hope for” these days.

In the 1990s, Nicky Silver blazed through the theater scene with one of the sharpest wits of the times: Fat Men in Skirts, The Food Chain, Raised in Captivity, The Agony and the Agony, and a handful of others created a body of work pundits labeled “dark farce.” Silver writes of hearts rebroken, of what happens after the shards get smashed again. His people aren’t doing well, the word “dysfunction” being a must for reviewers. But the bedraggled who survive manage it with spirit, if not lessons learned.

Maiden’s Prayer feels like a deliberate departure from Silver’s signature work: break the expected pattern, get outside his givens. But to make the move, he tacked the play onto Chekhov’s Three Sisters, and there are roughly parallel characters. But the hybrid doesn’t take. The spin-off tailspins, and though the play can boast flashes of brilliance — this is Nicky Silver, after all — the whole tends to weigh down the parts.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Taylor, a recovering alcoholic, says people fall in love with an image of the beloved, not the actual person. He also admits that “you get used to things, and things become your life.”

He’s marrying Cynthia, a control freak whose pregnancy’s starting to show beneath her white wedding dress. The reception drives Cynthia’s sister Libby out the door. Paul’s already in the backyard. Both have been in love with Taylor — deeply, fixatedly, for years. Libby, who swills champagne like Gatorade, is one of Nicky Silver’s loosest cannons. Paul, who ranks among the most supportive characters in theater history, is one of his sanest.

By Act Two, as if through a looking glass, the playwright turns things upside down: Libby, now a high-class call girl, gives her heretofore detested sister pointers in the trade. Taylor’s off the wagon and contemplating his revolver. The only constants are Paul, who may have even more sexual encounters than Libby, and Andrew, whose monologues become a litany of diminishing hopes.

In The Three Sisters, the Prozorov women dream of an idealized Moscow so much it paralyzes them. For Paul and Libby, Taylor is their Moscow. They’ve been stuck on him — or their image of him — and have stunted their lives. They flip through sexual partners like frantic shoppers at a Nordy’s sale but see only Taylor.

It’s hard to say if it’s the play or Triad Productions’ staging that’s so bifurcated. Most likely both. Serious events happen: a divorce; death of an infant; suicides contemplated. Ever eager to lighten the load, however, Silver wraps pain and tragedy with a comic ribbon. The result: the comedic and the bizarre cartoon the drama and trump Chekhov.

It would help if Cynthia and Taylor’s scenes were stronger.

Samantha Ginn and Jason Perkins come off as generic types, their squabbles also generic. Some of that’s in the writing. Silver obviously wants Taylor to be dull and self-centered and not the ideal others see. But to emphasize the point, Perkins gives bland readings a tad slower than the others. Ginn could sharpen Cynthia’s knives.

Rhianna Basore has a lark as Libby, the self-destructive survivor. As written, Libby’s a sprawl, but Basore deftly fuses hilarity and hurt. Nathan Caracter, new to San Diego, does an impressive turn as loyal Paul. And James P. Darvas makes Andrew’s frequent monologues so funny that they detract from the more somber scenes.

If you’ve ever seen Diversionary Theatre’s stage when it’s empty, you’d appreciate what designer Jocelyn Parenteau has done. Without cramping anything, she has a backyard (stage right), the interior of an apartment (stage left), and a slender tree trunk splitting the difference. Josh Hyatt’s apt costumes also reflect the quick change from Manhattan to the suburbs. ■

The Maiden’s Prayer, by Nicky Silver
Triad Productions, Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Boulevard, University Heights
Directed by Adam Parker; cast: Nathan Caracter, Rhianna Basore, Samantha Ginn, Jason Perkins, James P. Darvas; scenic design, Jocelyn Parenteau; costumes, Josh Hyatt; lighting, Austin Meyer; sound, Matt Lescault-Wood
Playing through January 23: Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Sunday at 5:00 p.m. 619-220-0097

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
The Maiden’s Prayer: They flip through partners like frantic shoppers at Nordy’s.
The Maiden’s Prayer: They flip through partners like frantic shoppers at Nordy’s.

Andrew, a gay character in Nicky Silver’s Maiden’s Prayer, says he looks for three things in a man: the size of his Manhattan apartment, if he has cable, and external beauty. Then he pauses, sensing the audience expects much more in a relationship. “Frankly,” he adds, having read our minds, “I think inner beauty is a little too much to hope for” these days.

In the 1990s, Nicky Silver blazed through the theater scene with one of the sharpest wits of the times: Fat Men in Skirts, The Food Chain, Raised in Captivity, The Agony and the Agony, and a handful of others created a body of work pundits labeled “dark farce.” Silver writes of hearts rebroken, of what happens after the shards get smashed again. His people aren’t doing well, the word “dysfunction” being a must for reviewers. But the bedraggled who survive manage it with spirit, if not lessons learned.

Maiden’s Prayer feels like a deliberate departure from Silver’s signature work: break the expected pattern, get outside his givens. But to make the move, he tacked the play onto Chekhov’s Three Sisters, and there are roughly parallel characters. But the hybrid doesn’t take. The spin-off tailspins, and though the play can boast flashes of brilliance — this is Nicky Silver, after all — the whole tends to weigh down the parts.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Taylor, a recovering alcoholic, says people fall in love with an image of the beloved, not the actual person. He also admits that “you get used to things, and things become your life.”

He’s marrying Cynthia, a control freak whose pregnancy’s starting to show beneath her white wedding dress. The reception drives Cynthia’s sister Libby out the door. Paul’s already in the backyard. Both have been in love with Taylor — deeply, fixatedly, for years. Libby, who swills champagne like Gatorade, is one of Nicky Silver’s loosest cannons. Paul, who ranks among the most supportive characters in theater history, is one of his sanest.

By Act Two, as if through a looking glass, the playwright turns things upside down: Libby, now a high-class call girl, gives her heretofore detested sister pointers in the trade. Taylor’s off the wagon and contemplating his revolver. The only constants are Paul, who may have even more sexual encounters than Libby, and Andrew, whose monologues become a litany of diminishing hopes.

In The Three Sisters, the Prozorov women dream of an idealized Moscow so much it paralyzes them. For Paul and Libby, Taylor is their Moscow. They’ve been stuck on him — or their image of him — and have stunted their lives. They flip through sexual partners like frantic shoppers at a Nordy’s sale but see only Taylor.

It’s hard to say if it’s the play or Triad Productions’ staging that’s so bifurcated. Most likely both. Serious events happen: a divorce; death of an infant; suicides contemplated. Ever eager to lighten the load, however, Silver wraps pain and tragedy with a comic ribbon. The result: the comedic and the bizarre cartoon the drama and trump Chekhov.

It would help if Cynthia and Taylor’s scenes were stronger.

Samantha Ginn and Jason Perkins come off as generic types, their squabbles also generic. Some of that’s in the writing. Silver obviously wants Taylor to be dull and self-centered and not the ideal others see. But to emphasize the point, Perkins gives bland readings a tad slower than the others. Ginn could sharpen Cynthia’s knives.

Rhianna Basore has a lark as Libby, the self-destructive survivor. As written, Libby’s a sprawl, but Basore deftly fuses hilarity and hurt. Nathan Caracter, new to San Diego, does an impressive turn as loyal Paul. And James P. Darvas makes Andrew’s frequent monologues so funny that they detract from the more somber scenes.

If you’ve ever seen Diversionary Theatre’s stage when it’s empty, you’d appreciate what designer Jocelyn Parenteau has done. Without cramping anything, she has a backyard (stage right), the interior of an apartment (stage left), and a slender tree trunk splitting the difference. Josh Hyatt’s apt costumes also reflect the quick change from Manhattan to the suburbs. ■

The Maiden’s Prayer, by Nicky Silver
Triad Productions, Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Boulevard, University Heights
Directed by Adam Parker; cast: Nathan Caracter, Rhianna Basore, Samantha Ginn, Jason Perkins, James P. Darvas; scenic design, Jocelyn Parenteau; costumes, Josh Hyatt; lighting, Austin Meyer; sound, Matt Lescault-Wood
Playing through January 23: Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Sunday at 5:00 p.m. 619-220-0097

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Next Article

Angry Pete’s goes from pop-up to drive-thru

Detroit Pizza sidles into the husk of a shuttered Taco Bell
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.