Susan Granger’s review of “Harry Townsend’s Last Stand” (New York City Center, Stage II)
Theater can be provocative, even if it’s predictable, and nothing could be more timely and relevant than dealing with the vicissitudes of aging parent.
George Eastman’s new two-hander finds Harry (Len Cariou), a feisty, widowed octogenarian, living alone in the lakeside Vermont home he shared with his wife. Although he’s forgetful and falls too often, he’s still an active, gregarious member of the community where he was once known as “The Voice of the Valley” on local radio.
Harry is monitored by his daughter Sarah who lives nearby, but when she leaves for a weekend away with her husband, her twin brother Alan (Craig Bierko), a divorced real estate broker, arrives from San Diego, California, where he lives and works.
As this topical serio-comedy evolves and several glasses of whiskey are consumed, amid Harry’s randy recollections involving his late wife, Alan proposes the idea of his father’s moving into a retirement community, where he’d buy his own condo apartment and retain his independence but have the assurance of assisted living/health care available when needed.
Needless to say, that doesn’t go over well, even though Sarah has revealed that she’s planning to move to New York with her husband – her fourth, but who’s counting? That would leave Harry alone.
Which brings up some perennial questions: Can elderly parents realistically judge their own capabilities? Do children have the right to place an elderly parent in a facility without their consent?
Deftly directed by Karen Carpenter, both Len Cariou (“Sweeny Todd”) and Craig Bierko (“The Music Man”) are charming and convincing as father-and-son, pacing back and forth on Lauren Helpern’s cluttered living room/kitchen set. But this play is filled with sentimental clichés and runs far too long.
Jeff Davis’s lighting differentiates each of the four scenes, while John Gromada’s sound, using a piano rendition of “Autumn Leaves,” adds a bittersweet tone.
“Harry Townsend’s Last Stand” is Off-Broadway at City Center Stage II (131 W. 55th St,) through Sunday, February 9, 2020.