The stories of the people in the life of a young gay writer continue and conclude in The Inheritance, Part II. It is currently playing at Bancroft Street Market under the auspices of Voices in Alliance.
I freely admit that this was the play I had been looking forward to all season. After seeing Part I back in November, I could hardly wait to see how the incredible, tragic, and beautiful stories that began in the first chapter would be concluded. Since I was dealing with a two-part story, my only fear was that Matthew Lopez might not be able to stick the landing with his concluding chapter.
I quickly learned that was a needless fear.
Lopez sticks the ending with a perfect ten point landing as he continues and expands on the powerful themes he developed in Part I and adds some untelegraphed twists and turns along the way. Under the guidance of Randall T Stevens’ nuanced direction and driven by a cast that returns nearly every performer from Part I, you have a show that, combined with the first chapter, is going to swarm the next OEA Awards.
Now you need not have seen Part I in order to appreciate Part II. Part II literally picks up where Part I ended and does an excellent job summarizing the events of the first chapter. You can also read a summary of Part I right here. However, I would highly recommend reading my review of Part I before proceeding further so you can get a full picture of my thoughts on the story.
Randall T Stevens’ direction is every bit as potent as it was in the previous chapter. He remembers every jot and tittle of the arcs of Part I and brings that over to Part II as he continues the remarkable stories of these characters. Stevens beautifully stages the play, using the alleys of the seating area for his characters to glide on and off the performance space. He also uses some mesmerizing movement sequences which really enhances the storytelling with a scene featuring a character seeing his double through a series of mirrors being the most compelling. His guidance of the actors is as assured and precise as it was before and results in another series of award worthy performances.
Once more, the cast does a fantastic job essaying this tale. You’ll witness stellar performances from Trey as a deviant drug dealer fond of hosting sex parties while Roderick Cotton brings intelligence and frustration to Tristan, a physician suffering from HIV who plans to relocate to Canada due to believing that America is falling to pieces and has failed him in every way imaginable. Anthony Dupree Holmes and Enrique Madera still charm as the Jasons, but Madera gets an additional chance to shine with a stirring rendition of a harried doctor at a free clinic who has the weighty responsibility of telling a patient he has been suffering from HIV for a long period of time. Brayton Matuska and Tanner Langemeier tug heartstrings as younger versions of Walter Poole and Henry Wilcox. Brett Foster has a gripping cameo as Morgan who once again offers sage and fatherly wisdom. Justin Parsley gives an intense performance as Jasper in a combative scene with John F. Carroll’s Henry Wilcox. Moira Mangiameli’s Margaret delivers a moving monologue about how she couldn’t accept her son’s sexuality resulting in the loss of their relationship until he’s at death’s door. She then rectifies her errors by nursing the men dying from the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.
John F. Carroll’s Henry Wilcox takes a more central role in Part II and he plays the part to perfection. In my review of Part I, I mentioned how Carroll played the role with a sense of sterility. That sterility is still present, but Carroll fleshes it out even further with glimpses into his past where he relives the events that drove him to that sterile behavior. Wilcox is a man broken by watching so many of his friends and loved ones die from AIDS when he was younger. Witnessing so much death causes him to shut his heart down. As such, he can never truly love. Relationships are utilitarian and sex is only needed to satisfy an animal urge. Some of Carroll’s finest moments are when he briefly remembers the man he once was and you see love and feeling fleet across his eyes before returning to their steely gaze.
I really loved the evolution of Jeremy Johnson’s Eric Glass. Previously I had compared him to Mr. Rogers due to his goodness and gentleness. That facet of him is still there, but you also see what happens when a good man goes to war. Johnson brings a frightening ferocity to Glass during his fights with his ex and hurls some vile invective as he goes for Toby’s emotional jugular. Johnson beautifully transforms Eric as he becomes more than a just a good man. He’s just and he’s decent and will always do the right thing because it is the right thing and through that he begins to experience real joy.
Eric Grant-Leanna is even more compelling as Toby Darling than he was in Part I. This time around, Grant-Leanna skillfully portrays a man who is all too aware that the walls are closing in around him. Driven to desperation, he finally confronts his painful past and the demon that has been plaguing him all his life. Tragically, that demon wears his face. Watching Grant-Leanna disintegrate under the searing light of self-realization is a truly haunting moment that’s going to stick with you for years.
Travis Manley is going to make you cry with his turn as Leo. Manley is phenomenal as the beaten down hooker trying to eke out a means of survival. Distrustful and wary, this is a boy who has never known happiness and has been kicked to the curb by everyone who should have shown him love. Deprived of it, he cocoons himself in his body with his sloped shoulders and timid, reedy voice showing how desperately he locks up his emotions. Watching Leo slowly bloom due to experiencing love and genuine decency is one of the play’s most satisfying arcs. But Manley’s finest moment is when he meets his double, Adam, and has a dialogue with himself and smoothly switches between the two characters through small changes in body language and vocal timbre.
Craig Marsh adds some ambient sounds to boost the story from the beeps of texts and the ringing of phones. Chelsea Greenway’s lights provide a soothing glow on the actors and the sad blue lights that close heavier moments are just as moving as before. Amie James brings back the same accurate outfits from Part I, but adds a few extras with the wedding suits of Henry and Eric and the cheap, simple clothes of Leo being particularly memorable.
The complete story of The Inheritance is one of the most powerful pieces of theatre to hit the local stage. It is powerful. It is meaningful. It triggers thought and conversation. It is also selling out, so get a ticket while you can and experience the strength of transformative theatre in all its glory.
The Inheritance, Part II runs at Bancroft Street Market through May 19. Showtimes are Wed-Sat at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased here. Due to mature subject matter and language, this show is not suitable for children. Bancroft Street Market is located at 2702 S 10th St in Omaha, NE.
Chris' Corner 