Playwright: Keith Bunin
At: Smash Theatre at Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood
Phone: (773) 975-1812; $15
Runs through: May 17
Strong casting and astute direction result in four distinctive and confident performances in The Credeaux Canvas, Keith Bunin’s
ultra naturalistic light drama set on the fringes of the New York art scene. It’s easy to overwhelm the tiny Heartland Studio with
performances that are physically and emotionally too big, and, thereby, off-putting to the audience. Director Rob Mello and company
keep the scale of their work within bounds, although they push the envelope at moments.
The play is a triangle between twentysomethings. Winston is a gifted art student whose brilliant technique hits his emotional brick
wall. Jamie is his charming, unstable best friend; an artist manque and false romantic in love with being in love. Amelia is the Muse
for both men, Jamie’s girlfriend who nonetheless has an affair with Winston. The fourth character is a wealthy art patron who appears
only in one scene.
Bunin crafts his characters with care, skill and nearly complete believability, providing complexity and intelligence for each role,
even the art patron. His dialogue is excellent, including exceptionally well-informed talk about painting. Indeed, his character writing
is much better than his plot mechanics, which move forward in fits and starts and stand still for long, expository stretches. However,
Bunin’s clumsy mechanics fade away under the spell of this quartet of actors.
Robert Smith as Winston has a gaunt, quirky appeal and projects tons of vulnerability in an intentionally bland delivery that would
be lost in a larger theater, but is perfect for this small venue. He reveals the profound—even cruel—depth of his emotional black hole
very slowly. Monica Payne as Amelia is sucked into that hole. She listens and reacts superbly, meeting the author’s call for womanly
instincts that combine modesty, shrewdness and an upright nature. Her pert physicality also is an asset. Aaron Reichert provides high
energy and boyish good looks as Jamie, who seems to be in charge as he sets the plot (about art forgery) in motion, but proves to be
the third wheel. Margaret Kusterman brings great savvy to her brief turn as Tess, the older, wealthy art patron, who’s droll, warm and
perceptive in Kusterman’s hands. She make’s an impression in a throw-away, plot device part.
There are a few missed opportunities. We’re told Jamie tried to commit suicide once, but we don’t witness his emotional
instability. Volatility—which Reichert plays—isn’t the same as fragility, which he doesn’t play. Likewise, Mello and company step too
gingerly around the issue of Winston’s sexuality, and his love for Jamie, even though Bunin provides dialogue and behavioral
ammunition. But these are secondary considerations. Reviewed at a preview, The Credeaux Canvas was a pleasant surprise: well
done, intelligent and entertaining.