Kayleen (Kara Young) and Doug (Nicholas Braun) dance through the pain in Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries.
Put two single beds side by side, and the stage is set for a romantic comedy. But what if they are hospital beds? Could a depressing drama be on tap? Not to worry. Rajiv Joseph’s 2009 oddity, Gruesome Playground Injuries, returns to Off-Broadway with plenty of laughs, missed connections, and fleeting kisses. And when things do, on occasion, turn grim, the solid acting, ample stage blood, and traces of vomit make this piece more of a shocker than a bummer. In the reliable hands of veteran director Neil Pepe, it’s a slice-of-life one-act with the emphasis on slice.
Doug (Braun) and Kayleen (Young) contemplate a kiss. Photographs by Emilio Madrid.
Apparently taking place before the onset of cell phones, the play tracks the intersecting lives of Kayleen (Kara Young) and Doug (Nicholas Braun), from ages 8 to 38, as they fall in and out of each other’s orbit. They share not only a memorable childhood and a romantic tension, but also a knack for personal injury. Doug’s wounds, brought on by accidents or foolish actions, are external, stitch-inducing, and literally eye-gouging (courtesy of the fine makeup artist Brian Strumwasser). Conversely, Kayleen’s world of hurt is internalized, beginning with stomach problems brought on by “bad thoughts” and metastasizing into a host of mental issues and unhealthy behavior.
They lay the foundation of their unique relationship as kids in the school nurse’s office. Attempting to emulate Evel Knievel, Doug has ridden his bike off a roof, earning him a bloody gash on his forehead. Kayleen, with an irritable tummy but endless curiosity, is fascinated despite herself. When Doug allows her to touch his open wound, a bond is forged.
By the age of 23, they had seemingly grown apart, but Kayleen, drunk and mourning her father’s recent death, comes to visit Doug in the hospital. He is there because “the fireworks were awesome. Except for the one that went in my eye.” An intimate moment, with dancing and the unwrapping of bandages, ensues as Doug begs for a curative touch. “You’ve always been able to mend my wounds,” he says, in an attempt to woo.
“At 6-foot-7, Nicholas Braun physically towers over his costar, making their interplay all the more amusing.”
Other ages bring other chances for both romance and hospitalization. At 13, on the night of a school dance, an injured ankle and a penchant for barfing give way to a first kiss. At 18, jealousy and self-harm come into play. At 28, Kayleen tries to will Doug out of a coma and out of a relationship with another woman. At 33, they reunite after being apart for five years, much the worse for wear. At 38, with Doug a physical mess and Kayleen somewhat on the mend, they reunite with reminiscences and regrets firmly in place, a step toward being healed.
Young, a back-to-back Tony Award winner, has the superpower of being able to access her inner child at will. Portraying Kayleen as an 8-year-old allows that child to be fully explored, and it is a sight to behold. Fidgety, jumping on the bed, showing off her smart-girl vocabulary, the transformation is a delight. Which is not to say the portrayal lacks complexity. When she asks Doug, “Can I touch it?”, in reference to his wound, her innocence and awe are palpable. As Young grows old, the performance is no less enjoyable. From the teenager trying to hide her desires to the damaged adult she becomes, each scene rings true.
Doug finds that Kayleen, too, has scars.
Over the past few years, Manhattan stages have been rife with cast members of HBO’s hit drama, Succession. The latest entry is Braun, here making his New York theater debut. Having Young as an acting partner no doubt helps, but he acquits himself quite well, finding a goofy physicality for young Doug, bursts of anger as an adult, and a wave of melancholy over what never came to be. Also, at 6-foot-7, he physically towers over his costar, making their interplay all the more amusing. At one point, with Braun on his knees, Young climbs onto his back and settles in like a content cat.
Joseph’s script employs a couple of theatrical gambits to move the action along. Every scene either jumps forward 15 years or backward 10, meaning the audience sees some injuries before learning their cause or witnesses hints of the adult characters’ problems brewing while they are still teens. The lengthy costume changes are a feature, not a bug, of the production, signifying the many years between scenes and showing off scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado’s minimalist set with its exposed wings and functional sinks, where Young can grab a well-earned drink of water and Braun can scrub off some blood before Doug injures himself anew.
Gruesome Playground Injuries runs through Dec. 28 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.). Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; matinees are at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit gruesomeplaygroundinjuries.com.
Playwright: Rajiv Joseph
Direction: Neil Pepe
Sets: Arnulfo Maldonado
Costumes: Sarah Laux
Lighting: Japhy Weideman
Sound: David Van Tieghem
