To Whom It May Concern

Written by Aurin Squire

Directed by David Gaard

Arclight Theatre

152 West 71st Street

212-352-3101

 

Review by Chloe Demrovsky

 

Bed Fellows: Israel Guttierrez lures Matt Alford into a compromising position in To Whom It May Concern.

 

The Internet unleashes a unique tale in The Entertainment Agora’s production of Aurin Squire’s To Whom It May Concern. Maurice, a Marine stationed in Afghanistan, has been misled into corresponding with a gay Kansan teenager, Lorenzo. By exploiting the Internet’s anonymity, Lorenzo has led Maurice to believe that he is in fact a hot 17-year-old cheerleader named Lillian. Their online romance rapidly develops into a candid emotional connection between two lonely misfits. But the newfound intimacy is challenged when Maurice pays a surprise visit to his cyber lover and crawls naked into bed with... him.

 

David Gaard’s direction is straightforward and precise. The challenge lay in guiding his young actors through the script’s emotional minefield with the necessary comedic levity. Matt Alford and Israel Guttierrez deliver their challenging roles excitingly, if unevenly. In general, they seem to be more comfortable when interacting through their computer keyboards than with each other. The peculiar problem is a minor pitfall of the play’s otherwise well-executed epistolary device. However, Mr. Guttierrez’s performance as Lorenzo is thoughtful and personal despite some inconsistency.

 

The Arclight Theatre provides a nice layout for the production. Bruce Eyster’s set design and Erich Loetterle’s lighting design are adequate if somewhat unimaginative. More interesting are Michele Reisch’s costumes, which were thoroughly researched and beautifully coordinated.

 

The primary delight of the evening is the script itself. Squire brilliantly employs the epistolary device to tell a story about the perils of unconventional intimacy. The tricky device works because it is intrinsic to the plot; Lorenzo would not have been able to trick Maurice into falling for ‘him’ outside the setting of the Internet. It would have been just another missed connection. The setup is so well executed that by the time they meet face to face, the audience is enthralled. The second half, however, comes off as an enjoyable yet indulgent fantasy on the writer’s part that does not correlate with the terrific setup and dimensional characters of the first half. Despite the production’s minor flaws, To Whom It May Concern is a thoroughly entertaining evening with resounding implications for chatrooms.