Reviews

Heroes

Peter Postiglione and Mike Doyle in Heroes
Peter Postiglione and Mike Doyle in Heroes

In present-day Manhattan, two male roommates in their late 20s–one a couch potato who prefers philosophical discourse to gainful employment, the other a more conscientious guy caught in the grind of the business world–decide to seek fulfillment in their lives by becoming superheroes. This is the cute, amusing premise of Jonathan Brady’s Heroes, on view at Raw Space for five more performances though July 28 as part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival.

The 80-minute, intermissionless play begins with the music of a Lowenbrau commercial lulling the audience. Kenneth (Mike Doyle) enters in white-collar drag to find his unkempt roommate Ray (Peter Postiglione) channel-surfing and consuming munchies. Noting that the rent is just about due, Kenneth suggests that Ray get a job in order to help pay it, but Ray has a far more exciting idea in mind: Struck by TV reports of the nefarious activities of a serial killer who has been dubbed “The Soho Strangler,” he suggests that he and his roomie should become superheroes in order to capture the evildoer. Kenneth reacts with predictable skepticism, pointing out that neither one of the pair happens be endowed with super powers. (“We’re really not even in good shape,” he adds.) But as the strangler continues his murder spree, Ray wears down Kenneth’s resistance; he secures colorful, ridiculous costumes for himself and his buddy and they prepare for superheroism by studying ninja-style martial arts. Ray dubs himself “The Green Rocket” while Kenneth, more or less by default, becomes known as “Amazing Man.”

The dynamic duo’s initial attempts to thwart the strangler are unsuccessful. Kenneth is about ready to quit after taking a bullet in the arm–the strangler, alas, packs heat!–but Ray talks him into staying the course. The Green Rocket and Amazing Man are greatly encouraged when they prevent the strangling of a pretty yuppie named Kate, but they are frustrated by their inability to apprehend the fiend who attacked her. Meanwhile, Kenneth and Kate take a fancy to each other, and Kate agrees to aid the heroes in their plan to trap the strangler. Though the guys are wounded in the attempt, their efforts do result in the criminal’s arrest, and they are hailed by the media. (“Caped Clowns Collar Killer,” as the New York Post would have it). This leaves the triumphant trio of Ray, Kenneth, and Kate to move onto further challenges, whatever they may be. In short, Heroes is about (super)heroism as a means of self-actualization, a concept which is present as subtext in the tales of Batman, Spiderman, et al., but is rarely, if ever, dealt with in such a direct manner.

The play starts out poorly but gets much better as it goes along, which is certainly preferable to the opposite trajectory. The first couple of scenes are a trial for the audience as Ray indulges in dunning existential blather, attempting to convince Kenneth that the two of them need to do the superhero thing. Postiglione’s performance suffers here due to the density of Brady’s verbiage, but the actor is always charming in his earnestness and he really shines in the later, more economically written sections of the script. Doyle, who has some major theater, film, and TV credits to his name, is the perfect foil for Postiglione; his character has the most interesting arc in the play as Kenneth moves from initial reluctance through ambivalence to finally embrace Ray’s far-out plan. Both actors maintain their dignity throughout, and Doyle somehow manages to look sexy in one of the most ludicrous superhero getups conceivable. (At the performance I attended, hilarity ensued when a shapeless blob of red material that was Velcroed to Doyle’s blue spandex suit at chest level kept falling to the floor, only to be retrieved by the actor with offhand grace. Priceless.)

Aside from the skill of their individual performances, Doyle and Postiglione have real chemistry together; it’s entirely believable that these two guys have been friends and roommates for a while–and, honestly, how often is that kind of symbiosis achieved by two performers in a show that was probably thrown together in a couple of weeks? Janine Barris as Kate seems the perfect addition to this duo; her increasing joy and excitement as she buys into their dream is palpable, and it seems only natural that she winds up romantically involved with one of the pair. Barris, by the way, nails one of the biggest laughs of the play with her expertly timed delivery of what might have been a couple of throwaway lines in the mouth of a less gifted actress.

The other members of the cast play their parts adeptly. Though the joke of a TV news reporter recounting hideous events while smiling cheerily may not be a fresh one, Ellen Rae Huang makes it funny all over again. Jeremy Brisiel is convincing as a bar thug and Brian Turnbaugh is quite creepy as The Soho Strangler. Rounding out the company are Brian DeSantis in three small roles and Michael Walsh as the voice of the TV anchor.

Director Mark Steven Robinson has established just the right tone for the play and keeps it moving, except for the overwritten scenes at the start. The production is minimalist, which is no surprise given the number of shows that are stacked up and ready to go at Raw Space during the Midtown International Theater Festival. But kudos to costume coordinator Jeffrey Wallach for those outrageously tacky outfits worn by The Green Rocket and Amazing Man. (Note: These are not the costumes seen in the publicity photo accompanying this review). Bravo also to James Reimar for his fight choreography.

Following a typically random MITF schedule, Heroes will be performed again during the month of July at Raw Space on Wednesday the 17th at 7:20pm; Saturday the 21st at 11:30am; Thursday the 25th at 6pm; Saturday the 27th at 4:30pm; and Sunday the 28th at 7:55pm. For reservations and/or information, phone 212-279-4200 between the hours of 1 and 9pm each day, or visit the website www.ticketcentral.org.