Theater Review: "4000 Miles" at Westport Country Playhouse

By Naugatuck/Bethwood Patch Mayor Nancy Sasso Janis

Westport Country Playhouse is staging the Pulitzer Prize Finalist and Obie Award-winning Comedy/Drama “4000 Miles” written by Amy Herzog through Sept. 4. The play is directed by David Kennedy Playhouse, associate artistic director, and features Fairfield County actors Mia Dillon and Clay Singer.

After suffering a major loss while he was on a cross-country bike trip from the west coast, 21-year-old Leo crashes at the Greenwich Village apartment of his feisty 91-year-old grandmother Vera. The unlikely roommates are not always in harmony on issues of age, family, love, sex, and politics, but manage to find an emotional connection that gives each a purpose.

At its heart, writes Kennedy (“The Invisible Hand at the Playhouse,) “’4000 Miles’ is a profoundly compassionate look at two somewhat lost people and the moments in which they find each other, even across the enormity of a multi-generational divide. And it may be one of the wisest plays I’ve encountered in a long time.”

Herzog used her grandmother's words, habits and history to fashion the character of Vera Joseph. "'4000 Miles' is a bit of a companion piece to the playwright's political family drama “After the Revolution,” since both plays contain the character of the no-nonsense 91-year-old grandmother who is also a member of the Communist Party. The Joseph family in her plays are partially based on her father’s stepfamily.

The leading characters are strongly drawn, and while not much is resolved by the end of the play, we do witness some growth at both ends of the generational spectrum. As we enjoy the comedy, we also watch the two begin to process their losses and their grief with the support of each other. Some might be left unsatisfied after witnessing a month in the lives of the four characters as they find their way in today’s world.

Equity actress Mia Dillon, a resident of Fairfield, Connecticut, first appeared onstage at Westport Country Playhouse in the 1979 pre-Broadway tryout of “Once a Catholic” for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.

I first saw her at Hartford Stage in “Seder” (CT Critics Circle Award nomination), “Engagement Party,” and “Cloud 9” (CT Critics Circle Award). She will also appear in the soon to be released film “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret.”

Her Dillon masterfully plays the aging Vera Joseph, catching all of the details in the role, and is the best part of the play to my mind.

Equity member Clay Singer convincingly portrays Vera’s grandson Leo Joseph-Connell, whom Herzog based on her cousin who lost a good friend. Singer spent the past year with the Broadway National Tour of “The Band's Visit” and is a graduate of Westport’s Staples High School, and an alumnus of Staples Players.

Equity actor Lea DiMarchi, who was born and raised in Honolulu and trained at Carnegie Mellon, plays the supporting role of Leo’s friend Bec. Phoebe Holden, a Taiwanese-American Equity actor and writer from Taipei who received her BFA in acting at NYU Tisch, appears in one scene as Parson’s student Amanda and makes a mark in the brief role.

Playwright Amy Herzog’s other plays include “The Great God Pan,” and “Belleville” (Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalist; Drama Desk Nomination). She has taught playwriting at Bryn Mawr and Yale, and has an MFA from Yale School of Drama.

The scenic design by Arnulfo Moldanado clearly evokes the (large and probably rent controlled) Greenwich Village apartment of a widow. It is cluttered, filled with books and suits Vera well.

The costume design by Maiko Matsuhima nicely defines the various characters and the lighting design by Carolina Ortiz Herrera suitably sets the time of day. Fitz Patton makes the sound design work well.

Remaining performance schedule of the two week run is Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Run time is approximately 100 minutes with no intermission and the script contains drug use, smoking, some strong language, and mild adult themes. All audience members must wear a mask at all times while inside Westport Country Playhouse.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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