‘The Two Hander’ – A Review
A new play titled The Two Hander is playing at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch. Written by Julia Blauvelt, this play unfolds layers of plot and character development very carefully. This unfolding examines the story of two women. Diana, played by Jill Eikenberry, is a psychotherapist who has seen better days. Claire, played by Ella Dershowitz plays a person trying out psychotherapy for the first time.
Very effective staging helps the audience gain a better understanding of the plot and characters. Director SuzAnne Barabas makes sure that the use of special effects carry out the theme of the play in a most interesting way. Audiences can watch the mental deterioration of one of the characters as it progresses through the use of wall hangings and books as they slip and slide.
Additionally, the script is well written. Playwright Blauvelt incorporates powerfully written dialog for both of the characters. It takes a little for the unfolding of the characters to take root. But once it does, the audience gets a unique look at what is going on below the surface.
There is no doubt that this play will hold your interest as you watch two women interact with high emotional stakes involved.
Meeting the Therapist
All scenes for this play take place on set designed to look like a comfortable therapist’s office. Diana has been a resident of her Manhattan office for a number of years but she continues to have problems with a noisy heater. She makes numerous calls to “Gary” to try to get it solved but it never does happen. The office has comfortable seating, a number of books on shelves, and numerous pictures and artworks are on the walls.
Watch as Diana makes her first phone call to Gary and notice that she has two different names that she tries out. At first, it is hard to figure why she can’t recall Gary’s name immediately if she has been calling him numerous times. That becomes clear later on.
Enter Claire who decides to accept services from Diana. She is very hesitant to take on therapy sessions. But she realizes her own life has reached a point where it might be something that will help her move forward in her life. She is impressed with the amount of books and the subjects they cover in Diana’s office. The surroundings seem to reassure her except maybe for that malfunctioning heater that no one seems to be able to fix.
The Acting Brings the Real Issues to Light
As the sessions continue, an interesting dynamic begins. Jill Eikenberry turns in a strong performance as she wrestles with the inner demons haunting her. However, she does it in a such a manner that we don’t realize what it is really happening until later in the play. And that allows her client, Claire, to continue with the therapy much longer than she might have if she had a better sense of her own self. Some of the most forceful moments of the play occur when therapist Diana inflicts her own pain onto her client, Claire. And as she does so, movement occurs on the walls with the books and pictures.
Ella Dershowitz’s portrayal of Claire is that of a young woman who is not able to move forward with her life. She is a writer who has to take a job as a ticket seller rather than practice her own trade. Dershowitz does an excellent job of showing Claire bouncing back and forth between moments of progress then moments of moving backwards. She has a certain affection towards Diana. But that turns into other emotions as the true nature of the therapist presents itself.
Final Thoughts
This play is both interesting and surprising to see. It starts out a little slow but once it picks up, the audience gets caught up in the prison that Diana is in.
It would ruin it for anyone coming to see the show to say more than I have. I will say that the ending is dynamic and unexpected.
I would be remiss in not recognizing all of the creatives for The Two Hander. Their contributions add much to the strength of the script and acting. In particular, a special shout out goes to those who set up the walls and remount them after every show. Bravo!!
Tickets for The Two Hander
The Two Hander runs until May 19, 2024. Running time for the play is 1 hour 45 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.
Recommended age for theater goers is 13 +.
Tickets are on sale at NJ Rep.org or by calling 732.229.3166.
The NJRep is located at 179 Broadway, Long Branch, New Jersey, 07740.
The Two Hander begins promptly at 7:30 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Additional matinees are on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 PM.
Parking is available off of Liberty on the left side. The main door to enter is off of this parking area.