Belleville
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
Crimson Square Theatre Co. at the Beverly Hills Playhouse
Through November 20
In playwright Amy Herzog’s intriguing yet faulty exploration of love and trust, a 20- something married American couple are living their dream in Belleville, a multi-ethnic Paris community. Where better to be young and in love than in the City of Lights? Despite their locale – or maybe because of it – cracks disrupt their blissful façade, proving no matter how far one travels to avoid one’s demons they are never far behind.
After four months, Abby (Heidi Ramee) and Zack (Tomas Pais) have fallen into an outwardly happy routine. Zack works as a researcher at a French childhood AIDS prevention organization. Abby finds Zack’s work, while not as lucrative as the Stateside medical residency he turned down for it, a noble endeavor that lifts her esteem of him. In contrast, due to her limited French, her efforts to teach yoga to the locals is woefully unsuccessful. Zack is also friendly with their building manager Alioune (Andrew Tyree), a Muslim immigrant from Dakar, while Abby, in her effort to be sociable, demonstrates her provincial ignorance even while gushing about how much she loves their new “colorful” neighborhood, much to Alioune’s dismay.
Zack confides to Alioune that Abby is off her anti-depression meds and is alienated by her diverse surroundings, which heightens her anxiety. For Alioune’s wife Amina (Olabisi Kovabel), Afro-French and born in Paris, Abby and Zack are just more privileged white folk taking advantage of them, though under the pretense of friendship instead of Gallic hauteur. Isn’t that the American way?
Soon, Abby’s jealousy over Zack’s unseen female assistant, Zack’s insecurity over his financials status, and a mysterious visa snafu preventing them from going home for Christmas culminate in a brutal unraveling of the deep layers of subterfuge holding up their codependent relationship. As they lash out at each other, they also draw Alioune and Amina – and their children – into a dysfunctional maelstrom with disturbing results.
Herzog’s crisp and clever dialogue, coupled with Benjamin Burt’s sturdy direction and keen eye for staging, pique our interest along with her commentary on modern love and cultural relationships. For the Americans, striving to keep each other happy at all costs leads to lies that feed their ruin. Their Afro-French counterparts, however, have neither time nor inclination for any such luxury as they struggle in the country that colonized their homeland.
Unfortunately, Herzog’s plot points often strain plausibility. For a couple together six years and mostly just around each other while in Paris, the ability to hide their secrets, especially Zack’s big one, is incongruous. Abby may be vapid, but she is far from stupid, even if love can be blind.
The ensemble is tight, with Ramee and Pais exuding a compelling chemistry and astute dramatic and comedic timing. Each credibly can turn on a dime from charm to vitriol and still convey loving feelings. And while their characters are mostly ciphers, Tyree and Kovabel make the most of what they’ve been given. Tyree as Alioune bears a stoic dignity that tethers an exasperation that once unleashed is liberating. Kovabel’s Amina is most effective and passionate when displaying her family loyalty as the furious mother defending her children from the clueless yet dangerous Yanks.
Crimson Square Theatre Company at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, 254 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through Nov. 20. www.crimsonsquare.com. Running time 120 mins, including 15 min. intermission.
