Last Chance to catch the first New York production of Twilight of the Golds since its brief, 1993 Broadway premiere. Jonathan Tolins' drama, at Off-Broadway's Synchronicity Space, opened Mar. 11 after starting previews Mar. 4.
A New Voices Theatre Ensemble mounting, this Twilight has been scaled down by the author and director. Sources close to the production say Tolins and director James Knopf wanted the writing in the play to come through more than it did in its highly-produced Broadway incarnation. Starring are Christopher Scott, Michael Oberlander, Jane Ross, Len Stanger and Karin Sibrava.
The story concerns a couple who discover that their unborn child will probably grow up to be homosexual. This leads to a serious familial rift, what with the girl's straitlaced parents facing off against her gay brother. Defenders of the original production appreciated the serious debate about social stigma faced by gays (and their loved ones); detractors had problems with the show's Wagnerian subtext, as well as a theme some considered homophobic: that parents would even consider abortion as an option to stop a gay child from being born. If nothing else, the recent leaps in genetic engineering have made the plot less far fetched than it might have seemed five years ago.
James Knopf directs the New Voices revival of Twilight, which features sets by Carlos Doria, costumes by Pasquale Spezzano, lighting by David Zeffren and sound by Rick Baitz.
Tolins' other plays include The Unveiling, The Climate and Secrets of the Trade. His latest, If Memory Serves, will be directed by Leonard Foglia at CA's Pasadena Playhouse, fall 1998. For tickets ($12) and information on Twilight of the Golds at Synchronicity Space, 55 Mercer St., through Mar. 22, call (212) 539-4525.
-- By David Lefkowitz
