ReAct’s newest production, Chay Yew’s “A Language of Their Own,” tells the story of four gay men (3 of whom are Asian-Americans) whose lives intersect during the late 1990s in Boston and LA.
The play’s two main characters, Oscar and Ming, (played by Joseph Steven Yang and David Hsieh) find themselves emotionally torn at the end of their 4 ½ year love affair. They still love each other deeply, but circumstances are such that their time together is coming to a close.
Oscar has discovered that he is HIV+ and he does not want to prevent his younger lover, Ming, from going forward and living his life. In essence, Oscar breaks up with Ming in order to protect him from the pain that eventually lies ahead.
Bring in the two other characters of this dramatic quartet, Robert and Daniel, (played by Trevor Cushman and Alex Adisorn), who play Oscar’s and Ming’s new boyfriends, and you have the makings of what comes across as a gay made-for-TV-movie on the Lifetime channel or Bravo.
Directed by former Associate Artistic Director of the Intiman, Victor Pappas, this production of Yew’s monologue play utilizes a minimalist approach in terms of its staging. The set is very simple, consisting only of two platforms with a couple of steps leading up to them. There are no props, no projections, and the costumes are casual prêt-à-porter attire. It is clear that the focus here is on the acting and telling the story at hand.
The performances were, for the most part, solid. Yang, in particular, was quite engaging in his role as Oscar. He was calm, focused, and seasoned. Hsieh, as well, did a good job playing the histrionic and more feminine Ming. And both Cushman and Adisorn managed to give substance to their secondary roles. All in all, the acting was good.
The problem with this play, however, is two-fold: 1) the script itself and 2) the minimalist approach. With a running time of roughly two hours, I found myself getting tired of the whole drama after about the first 30 minutes. This is not to the discredit of the actors, but rather to the nature of the text itself, which consists primarily of monologues. The theme of lost love becomes tiring after a while, sort of like listening to a friend who has just gone through a breakup and will not stop pining and lamenting. It gets old – quickly!
Perhaps this monotony could have been relieved had there been more of a visual element to the play. But with no set to focus on, no colorful images, no props, no costumes, in short, no spectacle, it became even more tiresome. I did appreciate the live guitar music played by Evan Crockett, which served as a score to the drama, but we needed something more, I believe, to keep us involved and caring about these characters; or else, the show should be cut down to one hour and made into a one-act.
“A Language of Their Own” is now showing at the Hugo House April 20 – May 12. www.reacttheatre.org. Phone: 206-364-3283.
