“A Piece of Work”
Midway
through The True, Sharr White’s sizzling drama of Albany backroom politics, State
Senator Howard C.
Nolan (Glenn Fitzgerald) tells political operative Dorothea “Polly”
Noonan she’s “a piece of work.” And indeed, she is, especially as
played by the tempestuous Edie Falco (The
Sopranos, Nurse Jackie) in the
best performance of the budding season.
 |
| Michael McKean, Edie Falco, Peter Scolari. Photo: Monique Carboni. |
In their
scene, Noonan is using all her fine-tuned, rough-edged tools to persuade Nolan,
a Democrat, not to run against Albany mayor Erastus Corning II (Michael McKean),
the Democratic who’s held the office since 1942, in the upcoming 1977 mayoral election.
 |
| Edie Falco, Glenn Fitzgerald. Photo: Monique Carboni. |
Noonan is
a fierce, funny, fearsome, f bomb-dropping woman who has worked for Corning
since 1937, and describes herself as his “confidant.” She believes with every
corpuscle in her veins in the importance of remaining true to your cause, in
this case the system that has long dominated the Albany power structure. And it’s
her steamrolling mission to make sure every last Democratic vote goes to “Rasty”
Corning.
 |
| Michael McKean, Edie Falco. Photo: Monique Carboni. |
But things
are not quite that simple. Dan O’Connell,
powerful, long-serving chairman of the Albany Democratic Party, has died at 91,
robbing Corning of his backing, but giving him the chance to take over his job himself
in addition to continuing as mayor. However, another faithful O’Connell power
broker, Charlie Ryan (John Pankow), also wants to succeed to O’Connell’s
position.
 |
| Austin Cauldwell, Edie Falco. Photo: Monique Carboni. |
Stirring
the pot on Corning’s behalf is Polly, married to the stable, supportive,
non-political Peter (Peter Scolari), but rumored to be the married Corning’s
mistress. The “perception” of their relationship appears to be why he decides
to cut off his connections with her, despite how important her support and
advice is.
 |
| Edie Falco, Peter Scolari. Photo: Monique Carboni. |
Sharr’s
swiftly spoken, exquisitely gritty, colloquial dialogue captures all the raw
force of gloves-off political and marital squabbling. The intricacies of
Albany’s political culture—with its Democratic machine, committeemen, ward
leaders, patronage, corruption, and so on—are limned with surgical precision,
and the stakes for each participant couldn’t be more vividly expressed.
 |
| John Pankow, Edie Falco. Photo: Monique Carboni. |
Large
doses of humor leaven the atmosphere, as in a wonderful scene during which a
callow, 28-year old named Bill McCormick (Austin Cauldwell) is invited over for
a dinner of Irish stew so the enthusiastically optimistic Polly can prep him
for the important job of committeeman. As she learns how little he’s aware of
his Irish heritage (the Irish were a major Albany demographic) and how
disinterested he is in a lifetime political career, Polly’s frustration
detonates her emotional TNT with explosive results: “Where’s the dedication?
Where’s the fucking dedication?” she erupts.
 |
| Edie Falco, Michael McKean. Photo: Monique Carboni. |
Giving the
play an even stronger texture of authenticity is that it’s based on actual
people, the central figure, Polly Noonan, being the grandmother of New York
Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand. There are even passing references to the then 11-year-old Kirsten.
Aside from
a scene on a car seat and one in Ryan’s shabby home (indicated by a drop), the
action transpires in a booklined living room, cleverly designed by Derek
McLane, and lovingly lit by Jeff Croiter. With changes behind the upstage
archway, it serves handsomely as the home of both the Noonans and the Cornings.
 |
| Edie Falco, Michael McKean, Peter Scolari. Photo: Monique Carboni. |
Off-Broadway’s
New Group consistently presents star-studded casts, but I’ve had reservations
about several of their recent offerings. This one, though, as beautifully
directed by Scott Elliott, flawlessly matches the ensemble to its material,
creating a production of exceptional honesty in which each actor shines.
Scolari’s
reserved, soft-spoken Peter (not unlike the temperament of his role as Lena
Dunham’s dad on Girls) is the perfect
balance for the volcanic Polly, while McKean is thoroughly truthful as the aging
politician who fears for his career. Cauldwell is winsomely innocent as the
naive interviewee, Glenn Fitzgerald is believably browbeaten, and John Pankow
knows how to strike with venom when threatened. Even Tracy Shane, in a brief,
wordless appearance as Corning’s wife, Betty, makes an impression merely by
crossing the stage.
But this
is Edie Falco’s show. Looking just this side of dowdy in costumes (thanks to
Clint Ramos’s pinpoint perfect designs) that are perhaps meant to suggest
homemade garments (she spends a lot of time at a sewing machine), this brilliant
actress is a thespian firestorm. She mingles tears, raucous laughter, sarcasm,
vulgarity, ferocity, and vulnerability in equal measure. It’s easy to see how
such a woman could cow the men around her while simultaneously gaining their
respect (or “regard,” as she would say). The times may not have been conducive
to women holding high office in Albany politics but Polly Noonan was nonetheless
a force to reckon with.
Now and
then, longueurs appear in this intermissionless, hour and 45-minuted drama,
whose limited action is spread across several months. It nevertheless deserves
“regard” for making the story of an election about which few in the audience
know anything at all a gripping theatrical experience. And that is true.
OTHER
VIEWPOINTS:
Pershing
Square Signature Company/Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
480 W. 42nd
St., NYC
Through
October 28
