A More Perfect Union
Written by Vern Thiessen
Directed by Ron Russell
East 13th Street Theater
136 East 13th Street
212-352-3101

 

Review by Aaron Riccio

 

“Oyez, oyez,” blurts the pre-show announcement; “enjoy the arguments.” It’s a clever introduction to Vern Thiessen’s A More Perfect Union, a romantic comedy with a political agenda, for it allows Epic Theater Ensemble to deal with some dirty little flaws of the Supreme Court while also entertaining the audience. In this toned-down version of “Boston Legal,” polar opposites — the conservative Jewish Maddie (Melissa Friedman), from Cleveland, and James (Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr.), a wealthy black liberal from Georgia, come together, thanks to good chemistry and playful banter. Thanks also to Ron Russell’s rapid direction, which draws the most out of Thiessen’s gags and semantic charm: “Crazy,” he calls her. “Dedicated,” she amends. These two law clerks aren’t fighting — they’re flirting.

 

The play is not all laughs, but the give-and-take between Simmons and Friedman — particularly when they role-play their Supreme Court bosses — holds us rapt even as they debate the ethical minutiae of fictional Supreme Court “certs” (case submissions). The theatrical realities — every lean over a desk, crinkle of a wrapper, and slam of a book — keep things so physical that we are able to absorb the more thought-provoking ideas. Similarly, the moral issues Thiessen explores are so engaging that we are willing to lose ourselves in Russell’s stagecraft. Bring on the musical transitions between scenes (or “articles”): swing holds plenty of sexual tension; indie rock is full of bipolar jumps in tempo. Whether we’re with James as he defends the circumstances behind a son murdering his father or with a pregnant Maddie as she files for the church’s non-discriminating right to fire an employee who has gotten an abortion, we’re always listening.

 

There are plenty of big ideas thrown around, but the most important theme here is that there is no “wrong.” As one clerk says: “We all have our own box of crayons,” and our peers are the ones who will judge what passes as art. When the time comes to judge A More Perfect Union, Thiessen will have nothing to worry about.