Review of The Lake Effect, on Geva's Fielding Nextstage, February 2017
Review of The Lake Effect on the Fielding Nextstage at at Geva Theatre Center February 2-19, 2017
by Michael Galvin
Food for Thought
How much do we really know about our parents? How much do we really want to know? Pulitzer Prize-finalist Rajiv Joseph tackles family trauma head-on in his powerful play The Lake Effect, and he just might have you questioning your own family’s history.
When their father falls ill, estranged siblings Vijay and Priya find themselves back in his Cleveland restaurant and confronted with regular customer Bernard – a man who seems to know their father much better than they do. While a storm rages outside, Vijay, Priya and Bernard wave secrets like weapons and careen into a final revelation that threatens to bring all of their lives crashing down.
Vijay (a no-nonsense Neimah Djourabchi) is back from Wall Street and stunned to discover his domineering father Vinnie has let the family restaurant slide into financial ruin. Bernard (Clinton Lowe, showcasing an easy smile that masks something far deeper) ignores the ‘Closed’ sign and makes himself at home. It’s clear in minutes that Bernard knows a side of Vinnie that Vijay has never seen – a side that includes bawdy sex talk, gambling big on the Browns and haunting memories of a dead sister back in India. Vijay is further bewildered to learn that his own sister (Lipica Shah, guarded and explosive) knows all about Vinnie and Bernard’s unusual friendship. She’s also the keeper of Vinnie’s darkest secret.
As the storm drags on, it’s revealed that a senseless attack on the street left Bernard with brain damage, that Vinnie seems to have saved Bernard’s life, that Priya is desperate for money, and that Vijay is hiding something himself. Our secrets define us all.
GEVA’s intimate Fielding Stage is the perfect setting for this tense portrait of three troubled people forced together by fate. The Lake Effect boasts a clever set by David Arsenault and strong direction by Pirronne Yousefzadeh. At one point, Bernard, confused and alone, speaks to his dead mother as snow falls gently on his shoulders. It’s a lovely and unexpected moment that reminds the audience there’s life outside of the restaurant.
The Lake Effect uses recurring themes – the search for a sense of place in the children of immigrants, the idea that all water on Earth is connected – to drive home the idea that nothing is ever as simple as it seems. It’s a compelling play that reminds us that we often see what we want to see – and ignore the truths we’d rather not think about.
“The Lake Effect” runs until Sunday, February 19, 2017. It is appropriate for smart teens through adults. Click here for show times and tickets.
Michael Galvin is a professional screenwriter and the co-author of the REBELS OF THE LAMP series of YA novels on Disney’s Hyperion imprint.
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