Preview Thoughts on First Love

Although I have mentioned in the past that I'm not really a devotee of the plays of Charles Mee, when a discount offer appeared for a production of his play First Love at the Cherry Lane Theatre, I pounced.  One, I pounced because I'm a big fan of one of the actors.  Two, I pounced because the idea of this play (or the synopsis provided) was intriguing to me.  Three, I pounced because I feel as if I should try to crack this nut and understand why Mee's plays don't make themselves known to me (check out some of my struggles HERE).  Four, I pounced because it has been suggested that I should stop holding grudges.  SO.  Off I went.  This production is in early previews, and I'll only offer a few thoughts...

I should also mention that this isn't the first production of First Love - it premiered downtown in early September 2001, but quickly closed after 9/11.  I rather wish I had seen that production - it starred Ruth Malaczech and Frederick Neumann (from Mabou Mines, a company for whom I have great fondness).  But this revival features one of my longtime favorite actors, Michael O'Keefe, and Angelina Fiordellisi.  It's nice to see actors of a certain age starring in a love story, even in an off-kilter love story like First Love.  As a single woman of a certain age, I always appreciate seeing a story about the bravery needed to take that first step towards love.

photo credit: Monique Carboni

In the printed script, which you can see on Mee's website, he mentions that the play takes place 'in a world of Magritte,' and you can see that world in the set design, the costumes, and even the persona of the third performer in the play.  There was a blue sky, a juxtaposition between reality and fantasy, an acknowledgement that what you see might NOT be what you see, a bowler hat, a pipe, and other references to Magritte throughout.  So it definitely put me in the right frame of mind for the heightened reality of the play.  Often I wondered, did that really happen?  Was it imaginary?  What's real and what isn't?  And, for once in a Mee play, I liked that.  I guess because I find the concept of romantic love so foreign, the fantastical nature of this play worked for me.

I also thought O'Keefe was terrific.  He had a sense of whimsy, and a lightness, alongside a depth of feeling that was quite poignant.  A bit of "I'll reject you before you reject me," which was familiar to me.  He had great chemistry with Fiordellisi, who was also grand.  There was a lot of humor, with huge flights of fancy, plus a lot of sadness in First Love, which seemed just right to me.  And it featured a beautiful rendition of "September Song," one of my favorite pieces of sad/hopeful music.  They're actually in really good shape for such an early preview, so I'm sure once they open, the piece will be really humming.  I think First Love is worth a look and hope that it helps me find my place in Mee's playwriting world...