Second Stage Theatre
New York
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Paul Weitz’s “truly amoral” new comedy is a work for the sadomasochist in all of us, said John Simon in Bloomberg.com. Seeking illicit kicks, Harry (Zach Braff), a dot-com millionaire who’s stuck in a lackluster marriage to an unhappy painter (Ari Graynor), enlists the services of a dominatrix named “Mistress Carol” (Tony-winner Sutton Foster). While lashed to the rack, he recognizes his whip-brandishing tormentor as Prudence Teller, an old high school crush. Reminiscences carry Harry and Prudence from the dungeon to the coffee shop, where the seeds of an unconventional relationship are sown.
In a script full of “bright if brittle soundbites,” Weitz tackles some serious ideas, said Marilyn Stasio in Variety. Through Harry, he explores the “deeply deflating downside” that some people discover after achieving financial success. Yet his larger subject seems to be the “all-too-human yearning to step out of one’s protective skin and be revealed as a crybaby or a bitch or a really nasty guy.” Still, Weitz often works so hard to shock that his characters can become dull or cartoonish. These days, setting a discussion about power and relationships in an S&M parlor seems a bit trite.
If Trust doesn’t exactly surprise, the “smooth and gutsy” performances do keep the proceedings entertaining, said Ben Brantley in The New York Times. Foster, “a reigning sweetheart of wholesome Broadway musicals,” breaks out nicely here, playing the bad girl in a way that’s all too convincing. Braff, best known from TV’s Scrubs, is a revelation in his off-Broadway debut. His experience in playing hapless and amiable good guys translates seamlessly to the stage, but he also shows a surprising willingness to tap into the “angry throb” of his character’s suppressed emotions. The way Braff leads us into Harry’s “heart of darkness” suggests that he’s an actor capable of far more than sitcom high jinks.
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