The Inheritance Part 1 and Part 2
Reviewed by Dana Martin
Geffen Playhouse
Through November 27
RECOMMENDED
Matthew López’s sprawling saga, The Inheritance Part 1 and Part 2, is an artistically refined and emotionally raw examination of modern gay life in the aftermath of the AIDS epidemic. The Geffen’s season opener has seismic power that won’t be soon forgotten.
A languishing assembly of young minds are entangled in the wistful beginnings of storytelling. This group of bourgeois young men is led by Morgan (Bill Brochtrup), in the spirit of E.M. Forster. “One may as well begin with Toby’s voicemails to his boyfriend,” Morgan quips, a simple enough beginning and a nod to the famous first line of E.M. Forster’s seminal novel, “Howard’s End,” upon which the play is inspired.
Up-and-coming playwright and party boy Toby Darling (Juan Castano) finds himself at a luxurious party at the Hamptons home of billionaire businessman Henry Wilcox (Tuc Watkins) and his partner Walter Poole (also Brochtrup) and beckons his boyfriend Eric Glass (Adam Kantor) to crash the party. Before Eric can catch a bus out of town, Toby returns to the city, lamenting a booze-soaked night with a rather regrettable outcome. Eric is acquainted with power couple Walter and Henry and calls to clean up Toby’s mess.
Eric later encounters Walter and the two strike up an unlikely friendship, bonding over a mutual loneliness while their respective partners are out of town. Eric discovers Walter’s quiet heroism; he had provided a safe house and a dignified death for hundreds of gay men suffering with AIDS during the height of the AIDS epidemic at his beloved upstate farmhouse — much to the resentment of his partner, Henry; a rift they could never overcome. Walter beckons Eric to his beloved farmhouse but is diverted by his smarmy stepsons, Charles Wilcox (Eddie Lopez) and Paul Wilcox (Kasey Mahaffy).
Eric views himself as painfully ordinary, especially in comparison to Toby’s brilliance and his friend’s significant achievements. He’s being evicted from his rent-controlled Upper West Side apartment, news that rocks him to the core. He impetuously proposes to his boyfriend Toby, who gladly accepts. But Toby’s newfound Broadway acclaim causes his personal life to spiral. He breaks his engagement to Eric and plunges into addiction, drug-fueled partying and frequent, dangerous sexual encounters. When Walter dies a few months later, a heartbroken Eric strikes up an unconventional-if-mutually-convenient relationship with Walter’s late partner, Henry.
The play’s action takes place between 2015 and 2018, a highly fraught time in the U.S., with the election of Donald Trump evoking a collectively traumatic response within the gay community: his ascension to power recalled a time when fear and uncertainty were the status quo, thus adding a thick layer of volatility to the story. López weaves the play’s themes tightly together while allowing the action plenty of room to unfold — conjuring an intense emotional reckoning.
Part 1 illustrates the number of missing souls to powerful dramatic effect. Part 2 grapples with the residual aftermath those losses have on those left behind, meandering through various characters’ points of view and breaking many of the play’s previously established storytelling conventions — sometimes veering into soap opera-like dramatics.
The top-notch cast peels each layer back carefully and confidently. Lopez’s storytelling glides between action and descriptive prose, giving it the sense of a novel come to life. The play is fast-paced but unfolds slowly, so the story has room to breathe and the characters have time to evolve. Director Mike Donahue’s outstanding work is nuanced and imaginative, with a focus on stylized, tightly choreographed ensemble-driven action. Donahue sustains the play’s focus and tension for the entire expanse of the story. Jaimie Todd’s set design (original set design by Bob Crowley) is restrained and subtly powerful. It’s a blank white page, a large communal table with a host of well imagined locales. Josh Epstein’s lighting design in Part 1 is rich and warm, while Part 2 is brooding and dramatic. Veronika Vorel’s sound design is well measured, and Paul Englishby’s compositions punctuate and elevate the story overall.
Adam Kantor’s poignant performance as Eric Glass anchors the play. He’s as fascinating as he is dependable and handles the enormity of his role with ease and precision. Juan Castano’s Toby Darling is as flagrant and reckless as he is loveable; Castano’s performance is complex and intense. Tuc Watkin’s Henry has a billionaire’s swagger and an inherent sense of entitlement. When pushed to the edge, Watkin’s articulates the rage and profound sadness of a generation lost. Bradley James’ Trejeda oscillates with dexterity and specificity between the privileged Adam and the tortured and susceptible Leo. Tantoo Cardinal’s nuanced, vulnerable appearance as Margaret Avery brings such fresh energy and perspective that the impact of her performance is especially impactful.
The Inheritance Part 1 and Part 2 examines what this generation of gay men stand to inherit from previous generations: a collective trauma, loss, hope, love and community, while brilliantly holding space for the queer community grappling with compounded past and present crises. López emphasizes the importance of personal connection — the deep desire for being wanted and cared for, as expressed by every character in the play. But The Inheritance’s staying power exists in the balance López finds between mourning the lives snuffed out too soon, honoring the predecessors who made the hard-won rights enjoyed in modern gay life possible, and uplifting those in the community who continue to carry the mantle.
Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles; Tues.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat.- Sun., 1 p.m. & 7 p.m.; through November 27th. (310) 208-5454 or geffenplayhouse.org.; Running time: Part 1: 3 hours and 15 minutes with two intermissions; Part 2: 3 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission and one brief pause.
