Sea Wall/A Life: Excellent Storytelling. Fabulous Acting.
I didn’t have high hopes that I would be engaged in or enjoy the two-monologue play “Sea Wall/A Life”, written by two different playwrights.
Honestly, it seemed like the evening could be quite deadly. Instead of the show being deadly, I was dead wrong.
I was actually drawn in immediately and stayed so during the first monologue, delivered expertly by Tom Sturridge, curious to know how the 2nd play, performed by Jake Gyllenhaal would be as the follow-up piece. Each monologue is just about 45 minutes, and there is an intermission so it is a very comfortable pace.
Photo credit: Richard Hubert Smith
We first meet Alex (Tom Sturridge), a photographer on holiday in the south of France in “Sea Wall.” Alex is a husband and a father, and quite poetic in the way he talks about his wife, daughter and father-in-law. “Sea Wall” is lovingly written by Simon Stephens.
Photo credit: Richard Hubert Smith
Following intermission, the play “A Life” features Abe (Jake Gyllenhaal), a music producer who learns that his wife is having a baby. This play, written by Nick Payne, is quite unique in that one account in his tale blends into another, and it is not clear where one begins or ends, until it is clear, and the convention proves to be exceedingly clever.
There is nothing more to say in terms of plot because the storytelling that these two excellent actors perform take us on their personal journeys. Tying the two pieces together, each play uncovers the threads that exist between life and death, the powerful bonds of family and love, and how life continues past grief.
This is an evening of just excellent storytelling. Each actor stands in front of a brick wall the entire time and it is enough. We don’t need fancy sets, or movement, or anything else. Just the story. It is not a surprise that Audible (the behemoth audio book company) is a co-producer on the show. A good story, whether told in an audio book form or performed on stage is a good story.
Sea Wall/A Life is beautifully directed by Carrie Cracknell and runs through September 29.
For more theatre news, conversation and interviews, join Valerie Smaldone Saturday mornings, 9:05-10 for “Bagels and Broadway” on WNYM-AM radio, online at www.am970theanswer.com, Alexa and podcast.
Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.
Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.
