Noah Robbins and John Glover in a scene from Secrets of the Trade
(Photo credit: James Leynse)
It says a good deal about the state of our theater when a play as entertaining and well-crafted as Jonathan Tolins’ Secrets of the Trade opens Off Broadway. This clever, satisfying new rite of passage and backstage theater comedy-drama also offers bravura performances from newcomer Noah Robbins and veteran John Glover. Matt Shakman who staged the California production which also included Glover again directs his polished production for the New York premiere at Primary Stages.
Robbins makes good on the promise of his Broadway debut as Eugene, Neil Simon’s alter ego, in Brighton Beach Memoirs last fall. Here he must age from 16 – 26 in the course of the play and he accomplishes this feat with remarkable assuredness. He plays Andrew Lipman, a precocious and stage struck teenager who hopes to get close to writer-director Martin Kerner (played by Glover), a Broadway legend reminiscent of Harold Prince, in order to help forward his own career. When he writes to Kerner at age 16 with his parents’ encouragement, he does not hear back until two years later when he is about to start college.
Kerner invites him to lunch and sweeps Andrew off his feet with his offer of mentorship into a world that Andrew only dreams about. He listens to Andrew’s stories of his high school acting and directing experiences and trades stories from his own dazzling career in the professional theater. However, both Andrew and Kerner also have another secret: Kerner is a closeted gay man, and Andrew has not yet found his sexuality, although Kerner has guessed what it will be. The play follows the friendship that develops between the talented and ambitious young man and the complicated veteran in a field where you are only as good as your last hit.
The play also traces another theme: while Andrew’s architect father Peter (Mark Nelson) is all gung ho about Kerner mentoring his son, his mother Joanne (Amy Aquino) is more apprehensive about this relationship. A former dancer, now a high school English teacher, she worries about Andrew getting hurt if Kerner doesn’t come through on his vague promises of jobs and introductions yet to come. And she has heard rumors of how Kerner has treated adorable and talented young men in the past.
What does Kerner get out of this relationship? Is it Andrew’s smarts or his vulnerability, both of which Kerner has perceived on his initial meeting. And what secrets could his handsome assistant Bradley (Bill Brochtrup) divulge about his boss’ relationships with colleagues and interns? The play explores the extent and the limits of mentorship in a profession where a great deal is passed down from one generation to another.
Secrets of the Trade is more conventional than The Twilight of the Golds or The Last Sunday in June for which Tolins has been best known until now. The new play is funny, warm and wise and rewarding on many levels. As an ensemble, the cast could not be better. Robbins begins as the awkward 16 year old and before our eyes he evolves into the confused and high-strung college thespian experimenting in many directions, and finally, the self-confident and assured writer-director who stands on his own two feet. The performance is so subtle that at no point are you aware how he is changing. As the brilliant and volatile director, Glover is superb as a man of many facets. If the first act is Robbins’ play, the second act in which Kerner discloses his true colors as an artist and as a man is all his.
Aquino, repeating a role she created in the Los Angeles world premiere, is very varied as Andrew’s mother displaying at different times her love, jealousy, worries, and fears where her son is concerned. Nelson is amusing as Andrew’s stalwart father with his wry sense of humor dealing with both artistic members of his family. Brochtrup adds his own sense of deadpan comedy as the understanding assistant to the great man who has seen it all before, but must also insulate his boss from the outside world of people who want favors from him.
Mark Worthington has created a stage design which is as theatrical as its subject matter as the play moves from Andrew’s Port Washington home to various restaurants, offices and theaters where he and Kerner encounter each other. Using some of the tricks of his trade, he takes us by surprise with various “reveals” that are as canny as the writing. Alejo Vietti has additional fun costuming Nelson and Aquino who play all the additional characters. The unobtrusive lighting design is by Mike Durst.
Jonathan Tolins’ Secrets of the Trade is obviously written by a theater insider who knows his subject, and the play is pleasurable in a way that more ambitious plays often aren’t. With the excellent acting company led by Tony Award winner John Glover and rising star Noah Robbins, Secrets of the Trade is a shrewd and knowing look at growing up in a world of egos and great rewards. This should prove to be the first hit of the new season.
Secrets of the Trade (through September 4)
Primary Stages, 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, call 212-279-4200 or http://www.59E59.org