And the avalanche of political plays contin ues. But rather than focusing on the recent elections, or even the Reagan and Bush administrations, Amy Herzog’s “After the Revolution” goes further back, looking at the imprint left by 1940s activism on the following generations.
The result is hardly radical.
Emma Joseph (Katharine Powell) is a born-and-bred lefty. Her father, Ben (Peter Friedman), is a self-described Marxist so politically correct, he told a young Emma to say “Walkperson” instead of “Walkman.” Stepmother Mel (the excellent Mare Winningham) was once arrested for civil disobedience, and Grandma Vera (Lois Smith) argues that Stalinism wasn’t all bad.
That’s a lot of baggage. But wait — there’s more!
Turns out the family’s hero, late grandfather Joe, spied for the Soviet Union during WWII. The revelation crushes Emma, a do-gooder who runs a fund to free Mumia Abu-Jamal (the real-life activist convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer) from death row. Emma never had a problem with Grandpa being a Communist, but she fundamentally believes in America and is appalled by his betrayal.
Herzog treats some deep subjects in a hopelessly bumbling manner. It’s hard to pinpoint where things irremediably go wrong: the tone-deaf dialogue, the sluggish pacing, the cardboard characters. Even minor details ring false. Someone mentions seeing Vera play tennis in Central Park, but as wonderful as the 80-year-old Smith is, it’s unlikely she’d be running around a court.
Carolyn Cantor’s clumsy direction doesn’t help. Set in 1999, the play moves between Boston and New York, but it’s unclear what happens where. You have to wonder why Clint Ramos made the single set so specifically overstuffed if it needed to suggest various places.
The single bright light in the show is Winningham. The one-time Brat Packer doesn’t have enough to do, but she brings a worn-out dignity and good-humored resolve to her character. Every time she appears, the stage comes alive. Let’s hope we see her in a better show very soon.
elisabeth.vincentelli
@nypost.com