Isolde

Some plays are so quiet that one becomes intensely aware of the noise of the audience: people shifting in their seats, zipping up their bags, and dropping their cell phones loudly on the floor as they doze off. Such is the case with Richard Maxwell's Isolde, now playing an extended run at Theatre for a New Audience's Polonsky Shakespeare Center following its 2014 New York City debut at Abrons Art Center. Fans of Maxwell are sure to be delighted by this work; others might not get the hype.

The story is based on the medieval legend of Tristan and Iseult — about an Irish princess and her adulterous affair with a Cornish knight. Maxwell transplants this tale to bourgeois bohemia, exquisitely brought to life by Sascha Van Riel's set. Outfitted with minimalist furniture and linoleum floors, it looks like a photo shoot for Dwell magazine. Appropriately, the knight in shining armor is an award-winning architect named Massimo (Gary Wilmes). Forgetful actress Isolde (Tory Vazquez) and her fatherly husband, Patrick (Jim Fletcher), hire Massimo to design their perfect house. But Patrick is a general contractor and immediately casts doubt on Massimo's fanciful plans. It certainly doesn't help smooth their relationship when Massimo and Isolde start sleeping together. Despite the fraught circumstances of the plot, everyone manages to maintain a calm, neutral tone throughout the show as they amble across the stage.

As the founder and artistic director of the New York City Players, Maxwell has been showered with awards and critical praise for his distinctive deadpan style. In his book, Theater for Beginners, Maxwell argues, "The sharing of what is written takes precedence over how I sound." But if the one-note performances lull the audience into a slumber, they're really not going to hear the words the playwright crafted anyway. This problem becomes especially acute when the playwright also directs, as is the case here.

Maxwell's style also undermines the story he seems to be trying to tell. Despite what his hyper-masculine name suggests, Massimo is more of a wuss masquerading as a misunderstood artist. A monologue in which he graphically describes a sexual encounter with Isolde sounds less like a ballad of passion and more like a phone sex session. His encounters with Isolde don't offer any more heat.

Fletcher and Brian Mendes (playing Patrick's boomer buddy, Uncle Jerry, with startling authenticity) get the closest to depicting a human relationship. They stand at the edge of the stage silently listening to Bob Seger on Uncle Jerry's iPhone. Later they stare blankly at a football game. Maxwell's dispassionate style seems tailor-made for these aging bros, products of an American vision of masculinity that eschews all outward displays of emotion.

Late in the play the actors perform a pantomime of the Tristan and Isolde story while wearing cheesy medieval garb (appropriately bland costumes by Romy Springsguth). The prelude to Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde plays softly in the background, reminding us of what greater artists have done with the source material. Sadly, at Isolde, one only gets the clumsy sound of a restless audience.

Click below to see a clip from Isolde :