By J.E. Ballantyne Jr.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Hopewell Theatre opened its season Friday night with “Significant Other,” playwright Joshua Harmon’s meditation on loneliness.
Directed by Shawn Lockaton, “Significant Other” follows Jordan Berman as he navigates numerous life changes with close friends who populate his life.
Jordan has never really had a significantly serious relationship and as he nears the age of 30, he strives even harder to find that special someone. What complicates matters even further is the fact that all of his close friends are getting married and morphing into a different kind of life that doesn’t include him.
Kage Jonas Coven turns in a strong performance as Jordan, a gay man in search of love and a future with someone with whom he can spend the rest of his life.
Coven handles the character in fine fashion. In the opening scene, in a bar, with close friends Laura, Kiki and Vanessa, Jordan is fun-loving and comedic to a point as
he discusses relationships with his three friends. But things change as the play moves on, and Coven crafts Jordan’s character with precision.
Through the awkwardness of meeting someone at work through a first date that is even more awkward, we see Jordan going through difficult moments that are all too familiar to him. His friends, in an honest attempt to give him advice, send his mind into many directions. Coven relays Jordan’s angst and anxiety with genuine honesty. I hate the expression “you can feel his pain,” but it fits in this case.
Coven builds the character step by step to a boiling climax in Act II, when Jordan confronts his friend Laura as he sees his life slipping away and the real possibility of being eternally lonely. He plays the scene well, although I think he sustained his high point a little long.
Laura, played by Faith Boardman, is perhaps Jordan’s closest friend and plays the role well with good character development. She comes off a little wishy-washy in the opening but Laura soon turns into the rock that Jordan has always depended on. Her scene with Jordan in Act II brings Laura’s character to the forefront and complements Jordan’s fiery tirade.
Jaclyn-Sarah Senich’s character, Kiki, is the fun one in the group. Self centered and egotistical, Kiki kept the opening night audience laughing with her over the top bar scene to open the show. But Senich follows that up in every scene in which she appears with razor sharp line delivery, humor and mountains of energy.
The last one in the group, Vanessa, is played by Makenna Liller Dahman. This character must be the weak link in Jordan’s trio of close friends, because her character is not developed as much as the other two and she gets lost in the shuffle. This isn’t Dahman’s fault; more so the fault of the playwright. It was hard to delineate any sort of character in Vanessa. She has a bit of a sarcastic side but even that seems to be left in limbo. This would also be the case with other characters in the play.
Jaye Mills is seen portraying three different characters throughout: Will, Conrad and Tony. There is little, if any, difference between the three as they all seem lightly written and underdeveloped.
The same can also be said for Jose Garcia, who likewise plays three roles: Evan, Zach and Roger. Although Garcia tried to breathe some life into those roles, he fell into the trap of overacting in spots, which strained believability a bit.
Connie Leathers takes on the role of Helene, Jordan’s grandmother, and does a fine job with the sweet little old lady who Jordan visits from time to time. Struggling with memory issues, the scenes between Helene and Jordan are nice moments in the show. Leathers has a flair for comedy, which she delivers in a light and whimsical way.
The entire structure of “Significant Other” is odd.
There are no scenes but rather vignettes, all of which come and go without any stoppage of action. Many times, before one scene was completely finished the next one was beginning. It gave a sort of disjointed feel to the entire show.
Add to that the fact that scene changes were done in full view of the audience with lights up, making for major distractions at times. During a scene, someone that you thought was a character would enter – but it was a stagehand making changes. It shifted your focus away from where it needed to be and then you had to refocus on what was taking place in the scene.
Set design by Shawn Lockaton and Christina Kopcsos, was minimal with two triangular pieces that spun for different scenes. An unmovable wall downstage left and a painting on the up center wall completed the look. It was quick and easy and served the show well – except for the occasional crew distraction.
With its faults, the show successfully explores the idea of loneliness, especially as you grow older and your group of once close friends begins to splinter away into different directions. That separation and the feeling of being left all by yourself can be very difficult for many people. The cast delivers in communicating those emotions and the difficulty in dealing with them.
“Significant Other” will continue Sept. 6, 12, 13 at 7:30 p.m.; and
Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. Be advised that the play has adult themes and language.
Pictured at top: Faith Boardman and Kage Coven in a scene from Hopewell Theatre’s production of “Significant Other.”