The Old Globe goes Gothic in the Catskills of 45 years ago with Richard Greenberg’s eerie and poignant 1990 piece titled “The American Plan.” Thanks to sound designer Paul Peterson’s initial musical selection, a bit like Ophelia’s mad scene from Ambroise Thomas’ “Hamlet,” we know immediately that we’re not in Kansas anymore, especially when Lili Adler (the extraordinary Kate Arrington) enters. The whimpering sound of the vocal portrays her mental state as well as her titillation upon seeing Nick Lockridge (Patrick Zeller, excellent), who’s staying at the resort on the other side, emerge from the “lake” inside the Cassius Carter Centre Stage. There’s a bit of stage magic for you.
A New Yorker who went to Sarah Lawrence, Lili summers with her widowed mother, “a dreadful woman” who survived the Holocaust, and their aging, privileged and knowing servant Olivia (Sharon Hope, a terrific portrayal) in a mansion on the shore.
As played by Sandra Shipley, Eva Adler is the manipulative mother from hell, attracting, repelling and destroying a different young man each summer.
We witness the process aghast and grow more certain with every scene that the situation, the characters and their motivations are not as they seem. Truth is elusive and the second act wallop delivered by young Gil Harbison (Michael Kirby) comes out of the blue.
The lake is truly a palpable character and one expects Lili, like the tragic Ophelia, to wind up tangled in its reeds, especially when Nick teaches her to swim.
As staged by Kim Rubinstein ” who heads the undergraduate acting program at UCSD and was associate artistic director at Long Wharf Theatre ” it had its sluggish moments opening night (Feb. 28). As it tightens during the run, “The American Plan” will become an even more fascinating page-turner. The inevitable ending leaves one wanting more of these finely played and finely etched characters.
The Old Globe has produced Greenberg’s “The Violet Hour,” “Three Days of Rain” and “Take Me Out.” The playwright, whose characters are always fascinating and complex, never repeats himself.
Beautifully bathed in summer by Chris Rynne’s lighting, Wilson Chin’s set and Emily Pepper’s costumes, the experience takes us to upstate New York, circa 1960. On the surface, it’s a familiar and comforting summer of our youth, but the psychological waters are extremely dark.
“The American Plan” continues through March 30 in the Cassius Carter Centre Stage.
For information and tickets, visit www.theoldglobe.org or CALL (619) 23-GLOBE.