Theater Review: 'Wit' | Theatre | Arts & Entertainment | Epoch Times

(L?R) English professor Vivian Bearing (Cynthia Nixon) looks to her old mentor E. M. Ashford (Suzanne Bertish) in ?Wit.? (Joan Marcus)

NEW YORK?Playwright Margaret Edson taps into the universal fear of death and dying, as painfully and poignantly shown in a revival of her Pulitzer Prize-winning play ?Wit? now at Broadway?s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Vivian Bearing, Ph.D. (Cynthia Nixon), a professor of 17th century poetry, is suffering from stage-four metastatic ovarian cancer. With her prognosis grim, she agrees to undergo an aggressive form of treatment: eight months of chemotherapy in an attempt to combat the disease.

The treatments soon begin to debilitate her already-weakened body, and the effects are evident in the slowing of her physical movements and speech patterns, as the play goes on.

Noting in the first few minutes, ?I think I die at the end,? Bearing is determined to share her story before that happens. Yet ?Wit? is much more than just about the disease. Rather, it?s about the life of this woman and how she deals with a seeming death sentence.

For Vivian the answer, at least in the beginning, is through wit. She humorously answers the questions of her doctors in an attempt to hold on to what little bit of humanity she can and not simply become just another patient, another statistic.

Wit is also something she tries to teach her students via the writings of poet John Donne and is a practice she holds in very high regard. Using this sometimes sarcastic technique, she makes frequent asides to the audience, commenting on the tragic absurdity of her situation; that is, doctors without fail asking how she?s feeling, no matter if she?s quietly sitting in bed or has just finished throwing up.

Edson deserves great credit for going with the human factor here, rather than the medical one. The explanations and terminologies used in the play are easily understandable without becoming overwhelming. This choice of language allows Vivian?s battle to become more relatable to the audience, enabling us to better understand and experience what Vivian is feeling as the story unfolds.

Nixon turns in a brilliant performance as Vivian, an intelligent career woman and hard taskmaster in the classroom. With no family or friends to speak of, she is forced for the first time in her life to rely on the professionalism, training, and compassion of others. Yet it?s both Vivian?s tough exterior that Nixon projects, and the times when it begins to crack, that make the character so realistic.

While Cynthia Nixon takes and holds center stage throughout, the work of the supporting cast is just as pivotal. Chief among them is Greg Keller as Dr. Jason Poser, a former student of Bearing?s who, while quite competent at his job, is completely incapable of making an emotional connection to Vivian or anyone else around him. The discomfort Poser feels at each encounter with his former teacher is evident via the awkward moments of silence between the two.

Also quite strong is Carra Patterson as Susie Monahan, a registered nurse and the only one who sees Vivian as a person rather than as the subject of research. Michael Countryman gives a nice air of authority as Dr. Kelekian, as well as making a brief but effective appearance as Vivian?s father. Elsewhere, Suzanne Bertish does quite well as a former professor of Vivian?s and someone who was obviously a major influence in her life.

Lynne Meadow?s direction is quite good, hitting all the high points in the story and allowing the emotional and intellectual power of the piece to come through.

If there?s any problem with this production, it?s in the play?s staging. This very intimate tale feels somewhat dwarfed at times by the massive empty spaces of the playing area.

Minor quibbles aside, ?Wit? is a painful and poignant play that brilliantly puts a human face on the subject of cancer and shows how important the need for simple human recognition is for all of us.

Also in the cast are Pun Bandhu, Jessica Dickey, Chik? Johnson, and Zachary Spicer.

?Wit?

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Closes March 11

Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.

Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/arts-entertainment/theater-review-wit-191465.html

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