We are dropped into Simon Stephens’ Heisenberg just after Georgie Burns has kissed the nape of Alex Priest, thinking he was someone else. Georgie is a tantalizing, effusive widow, not always eccentric in the best sense of the word. Alex, more than thirty years older, is a gruff, if down-to-earth butcher. He’s not just hard to reach, he’s almost completely shut down. Like Georgie, he’s had to deal with his share of catastrophe and disappointment. There have, of course, been countless other plays dealing with two broken souls: I Am A Camera, Butterflies Are Free, The Odd Couple, The Gingham Dog, Birdbath. The difference in Heisenberg is that Georgie might be a pathological liar, pursuing a much older man, who can barely seem to tolerate her. If Mr. Stephens can see Alex and Georgie’s redeeming qualities, he certainly plays it close to the vest.
It’s not just that Georgie lies, we really can’t be sure if her intentions are, at least, innocuous. If Alex’s reticence hides implacable charisma, well, it’s news to us. Maybe that enigma keeps us watching. Stephens presents us with this unorthodox couple and defies us to believe in their compatibility. We’ve all heard of the couple who despite their utter lack of intersection, seem made for each other. But Heisenberg explores this idea without copping to fantasia or fancy. And certainly (in this instance) we do not know what we know, till we know it. Stephens does this without cheating or pandering. His depiction of Alex and Georgie is unblinking, yet affectionate.
Anna Ziegler’s Actually examines the night, and the day after, when Amber accuses Tom of raping her. Tom and Amber are Freshmen at an Ivy League school: frail and nervous and confused and excited and terrified. College Campuses are notorious for a faulty justice structure when it comes to dealing with sexual assault. There is jurisdictional ambiguity when it comes to involving the police, and crucial verdicts too often left in the hands of arbitrary tribunals, with little or no training. Amber makes the legitimate point that being drunk made it impossible for her to give consent. But Tom was also inebriated, and there’s no reason to think he was trying to break Amber’s resistance.
Ziegler swings contrapuntally between Tom and Amber’s dialogue, and concurrent monologues they deliver to us. They not only discuss their impressions about the event in question, but all the gender baggage American Culture imparts. Actually is a detailed mosaic- streams of thought from two vastly different, but equally valid perceptions. Ziegler understands that trauma doesn’t happen in a vacuum. She gives us context and perspective. She creates two vivid characters and never takes sides. Actually is rational, but emotional. It never exploits our feelings, or insults our intelligence. It looks squarely at a difficult subject, with grace, humanity and discretion.
Theatre 3 presents A Double Feature: Heisenberg/Actually playing August 2nd-26th, 2018. 2800 Routh Street, Suite 168, Dallas, Texas 75201. 214-871-3300. www.theatre3dallas.com.