The Escort
Polly Draper and Maggie Siff give strong performances in Jane Anderson's provocative play about the unlikely friendship between a call girl and her gynecologist.
(© Michael Lamont)
Charlotte (Siff) is our guide to some kinky diversions of the rich and powerful. A high-priced call girl, Charlotte forms an unusual bond with her OB-GYN Dr. Rhona Bloom (Polly Draper), who is balancing her successful career with her stressful parenting of her 13-year-old son Lewis (Gabriel Sunday). Meeting Charlotte opens Rhona up sexually, and the good doctor soon contemplates hiring a male to satisfy her suppressed longings.
But this friendship proves tenuous at best, and Charlotte -- who begins as a witty, playful and beguiling figure -- ends up as a surprisingly sinister and cruel person, leaving some in the audience to feel betrayed. To her credit, though, Siff comes off as hauntingly naïve as the professional-minded prostitute who's more guarded than she admits.
Draper serves up some powerhouse moments as Rhona, and the veteran actress perfectly portrays Rhona's exploration of a world that initially frightens her. James Eckhouse has the least showy role as Rhona's ex-husband (and fellow physician) Howard, but oozes sleaze throughout.
Sunday has the play's most complicated task, since he must seamlessly play not only the 13-year-old Lewis, but also a 21-year-old male escort named Matthew. While portraying Lewis, the actor's cracking voice and awkward stance are exactly what you'd expect for a seventh-grader, while as pre-med drop-out Matthew, he's plastic and almost robotic, verbalizing terms of endearment that are almost vapid.