AISLE SAY New York

THREESOME

by Yussef El Guindi
Directed by Chris Coleman
A Production of Portland Stage and ACT
Stage A at 59E59

Reviewed by David Spencer

On the mainstage at 59E59 there's Threesome by Yussef El Guindi. Leila (Alla Attallah) and Rashid (Karan Oberoi), Egyptian Americans with ties to Cairo, attempt to solve their relationship issues by inviting a relative stranger, Doug (Quinn Franzen), into their bedroom to indulge in a three-way. It doesn’t solve much, of course, and only amplifies the problems as comic clumsiness gives way to revelation. Much more than sexual politics are in the mix here, or anyway much more than “simply” the sexual politics of single relationship. Because of who these people are and what they do, the issues become very weighted and very global; and sex comedy morphs into scathing social drama.

            Under the direction of Chris Coleman, this well-acted import from the Portland Stage Center (complete with its original cast) earns its acclaim honestly, at least to the extent that as a sexual dialectic (the bait-and-switch that renders the brief glimpses of nudity just a necessary device along the way), it’s never dull. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about where it leads us, though. To discuss too far past the initial premise is to anticipate that which (I assume) is meant to take us by surprise, but I will say this: Though the particulars of the Egyptian culture add a memorable specificity to milieu and event, there is still a general conclusion about the difference between men and women that I find bothersomely familiar; I dare not lay out my objection in detail, lest that be a spoiler too. I suppose what I can say is that we’re presented with a conclusion about an aspect of society, as an implied universal truth…and while it undoubtedly, sadly, obtains in many quarters and environments, it just as undoubtedly doesn’t speak for everyone. But that shouldn’t stop you from attending. What the hell: a play can do lots worse than give you something to spiritedly debate afterwards.


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