265. A SECOND
CHANCE
This two-actor musical, by Ted Shen, starring the husband
and wife team of Brian Sutherland and Diane Sutherland, is a bittersweet work
about a couple of attractive, successful, well-dressed (by Susan Hilferty)
middle-aged New Yorkers, Dan and Jenna. He’s recently widowed, she’s recently
divorced. He lives in Brooklyn (always good for a laugh just by mentioning the
place), she in Manhattan. They meet at a dinner party and hit it off, but
neglect to take one another’s contact information. Not to worry. As in IF/THEN,
they meet in the subway and reconnect. I wonder if, without the New York subway
system, half the hookups in this town would ever happen. This time, if only
barely, Dan gets Jenna’s number.
Brian Sutherland, Diane Sutherland. Photo: Joan Marcus.
The show
then follows their dating history, in which, except for a minor bump or two,
the course of true love runs rather predictably. As the weeks and months go by,
the times and places of their meetings are shown on projections. They start out at
MOMA and ultimately end up in bed at Jenna’s place, with scenes in Central Park
playing a part in their growing relationship. Although they’re in love, he’s
conflicted because of his inability to shed his guilt at being attracted to
another woman after the death of his wife of 25 years. She, too, has issues
with her feelings, which she discusses at her therapist’s office, but neither
has really deep problems. Except for his
difficulty in handling an encounter with old friends when he and Jenna run into
them, which momentarily angers her, the piece just ambles along until its
foreordained happy conclusion when they decide to take a second chance. This
story, of course, has been done before, in one form or another, and there’s
nothing here to get excited about. A recent French movie called DELICACY,
starring Audrey Tatou, about a young widow who slowly and reluctantly falls in
love with someone no one thinks is right for her (not the case in A SECOND
CHANCE), does a much more amusing and touching job with related material.
Stephen
Sondheim’s influence is all over Mr. Shen’s music and lyrics, which come
nowhere near the master’s in distinction. One song sounds pretty much like
another, except for those few times when there’s a Latin or other recognizable
flavoring. There is very little dialogue, this being essentially a sung-through
show, which the two performers handle with professional aplomb, but, given the
limitations of the material, not much more. The characters, well-spoken and
cultured, experience what seem only mildly troubling emotions.
Robert Brill’s set is a floor
of polished blonde wood, with a couple of white chairs and other minor pieces
of furniture brought on when needed, and with only projection screens at the
rear and either side for a background. The projections, designed by Rocco
Disanti, are of black and white stills, some of them deliberately out of focus,
and none of particular note. The show, which runs 90 minutes, could be 15
minutes shorter, but for some reason there’s an intermission.
A SECOND
CHANCE may have its problems, but Mr. Shen, a wealthy donor to musical theatre
enterprises, will surely have a second chance to show what he can do.
