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LOBBY HERO

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III

Noho Arts Center

Closed

Glimmers of entertainment and artistry emerge in Kenneth Lonergan’s “modern-morality tale,” but not enough of them to make the show a success.

The setting is a ritzy Manhattan hotel lobby complete with a handsome elevator – truly nice work by scenic designer Danny Cistone) where Jeff (Jeremy Luke), a chatty, luckless schlub of a man, toils away as a security guard.

Minutes into the play, he engages in a painfully drawn-out parley with his boss William (Jonte LeGras).  Their interchange seldom rises above the superficial, and it pretty much sets a languid pace for the entire play.

What plot there is concerns a libidinous cop named Bill (Eddie Alfano) and his idealistic partner Dawn (a fine turn by Gabrielle Walsh), and involves Bill’s complicity in furnishing an alibi for William’s brother, who is accused of a horrendous murder.

That plot strand would have been far more engaging if developed in depth, without the frequent digressions into the more mundane elements of the story.

Lonergan, however, does have a prodigious gift for gritty dialogue and humor. Unfortunately, there really isn’t much of a story here.  Joe Palese directs.

Theatre 68 at NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood., Wed.-Thurs. 8 p.m..; Closed. www.plays411.com/lobbyhero. Running time two hours with intermission.