La Jolla Playhouse opened the world premiere of Claudia Shear’s “Restoration” June 28. Directed by Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley, it continues through July 28. “Restoration” is not a play about the Restoration, that period of English history beginning in 1690 when Charles II restored the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies, but about the restoration of Michelangelo’s 1504 work David, in time for the nine-month celebration of the sculpture’s 500th anniversary. The creation of “Il Gigante” from its block of marble was contentious (two sculptors were involved prior to Michelangelo’s commissioning) and so was the cleaning method. After much wrangling and several departures, including the director of the Academy, it was decided that David would be cleaned a mixture of with distilled water and cellulose at Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia. The gallery was never closed. Author Shear portrays a dumpy middle-aged art restorer named Giulia. She was born in Florence, but raised and educated in London. The restoration committee sends one of its members, Professor Williams (Alan Mandell) to commission Giulia to do the job. He is Giulia’s former teacher. Natalija Nogulich is brilliant in three contrasting roles: imperious committee member Marciante, cleaning woman Beatrice and an old woman visitor simply called Nonna. Kate Shindle plays the third committee member, Daphne, who is so very beautiful that her presence creates Giulia’s instant dislike. Over the course of the play, the two women enough find common ground for understanding and friendship. Giulia’s great support, however, is the gallery security guard, Max (perfectly cast Daniel Serafini-Sauli), a married Italian who has spent his entire life with David and expects to grow old with him as well. The play captures the public’s adulation, respect and fascination for the sculpture, which attracts thousands of visitors each year. They wend their way through a room containing blocks of marble in various stages of revelation to demonstrate the process, finally coming into the gallery that houses the sculpture. Anyone who’s experienced this remembers reacting with awe, tears and reverence. Over the eight-month restoration period, Giulia feels the presence of David as well as that of Michelangelo on a deep and personal basis. So do the others, through her. She is grumpy, funny and endearing. What seems to be a simple 90-minute work that unfolds without fuss ultimately becomes a play about life, loneliness, beauty, death, love and what endures. To the playwright’s everlasting credit, we are never told. Superb acting all around deepens characters that could have been stereotypes: the doddering professor, the sourpuss old maid, the flirty Italian. Scenic designer Scott Pask does not attempt to capture David in toto, merely presents a revolving scaffold with parts of him, chest, belly, foot, hand and genitalia. There are projected images (designed by Kristin Ellert), the first rather cubist, and then later, before the unveiling, an image of the sculpture itself, reduced in size. No theater could contain that. Costume designer David C. Woolard’s creations range from Italian elegance to Giulia’s frumpy work clothes and a special occasion dress that plays heavily into the restorer’s love of David. Dan Moses Schreier is composer and sound designer. Ashley’s acumen as director and commissioner of new plays is ever more apparent. This production is not to be missed by humans, whether art lovers or not. “Restoration” plays at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 7 p.m. Sundays; and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through July 28 at the Mandell Weiss Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive. For tickets ($30-$65), visit www.lajollaplayhouse.org or call (858) 550-1010.
