Torture adequately lives up to its name

'You know, I don't really know what normal is,' says the confused mother in the middle of Christopher Durang's new play. 'That's one of the reasons I go the theater - to know what normal is.'

No theater-goer could say that for this play. Durang's production offers a hyper-realized version of reality. His awkwardly titled 'Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them' goes beyond even his usual limits of absurdity in the name of satire, stretching the boundaries of what could ever be considered possible, let alone normal. Although there are funny moments and the occasional salient observation, overall 'Torture' fails to deliver the sharp observations and emotional depth expected of the esteemed playwright.

The story resembles a generic sitcom: Felicity (a plucky but disappointing Laura Benanti, fresh from her excellent Tony-winning star turn in 'Gypsy') wakes up in a hotel bed next to a man she doesn't recognize. To make matters worse, her spell of indiscretion included not just kinky sex but also a drunken marriage.

Her new husband is Zamir (the one-note Amir Arison), a man she met at an upgraded Hooters who has a short, vicious temper and a vague, possibly illegal past. But that's far behind him. Now that he has Felicity as breadwinner and gets to share her snazzy New York City apartment, he refuses to annul their marriage, threatening violence.

This is supposed to be funny.

Things only get stranger as the unhappy couple visits Felicity's parents in suburban New Jersey and is greeted by her hopelessly naive, distracted and theater-obsessed mother, Luella (Kristine Nielsen, ludicrous in her lunacy but admittedly committed to the role) and her outrageously right-wing father, Leonard (again, played over the top but with zeal by Richard Poe).

Leonard threatens to shoot Zamir dead upon meeting him, which his new son-in-law counters with the possibility of blowing up the house. The situation temporarily calms down, but Felicity is left with the concern that Zamir is a petty criminal at best and a terrorist at worst.

The plot quickly transforms into a surreal nightmare. Leonard, under the guise of owning an extensive butterfly collection, is part of a vigilante shadow government trying to take down potential threats to the U.S., and he enlists the help of colleague Hildegarde (Audrie Neenan) - whose panties have the nasty habit of continually falling down to her ankles - to spy on Zamir.

Felicity just wants a chance to do everything over, which she actually gets, by going back in time (walking back through the revolving set as it spins) and humorously uncovering some secrets in the process.

That marvelous backdrop is the play's best element, designed by David Korins, under Nicholas Martin's direction. Each scene is enhanced by an impeccably detailed room: the house's bright, cozy kitchen nook gives way to the foreboding 'butterfly room'; a cookie-cutter Midtown restaurant versus the opulent Hooters. The scenes simply spin away to the next space, sometimes while the characters are still occupying the former one.

Unfortunately, 'Torture' suffers in almost every other regard. From the cartoonish acting to the preposterousness of the initial action and then turnaround, unbelievable events unfold without any resonance.

Durang's ambition is admirable, but his reach far exceeds his grasp. The brutally violent images and themes he plays for (admittedly, successful) laughs don't hold much weight in the Obama era, and his criticism would have been tired years ago.

Even when Durang's characters are at their most absurd, as in works such as 'Beyond Therapy,' there is still a basis of real vulnerability, depth and believability at play, none of which can be found here. Even though Luella gets her chance to show just what is really behind her theater obsession, she is still a caricature, and her husband even more so. And Zamir remains a fairly unsympathetic creature of little interest, even when his background is divulged.

Instead of challenging the audience in any meaningful way, Durang chooses to wrap things up in a neat little bow, hoping that they will share not just his political beliefs but also his too-clever sense of humor and theatrics. Everything is played on a sitcom scale, which then spirals down into a warped thriller by way of dark comedy that doesn't deliver.

'Why Torture Is Wrong ...' plays through May 3 at the Public Theater (425 Lafayette St.). Tickets ($60 to $70; $25 for students) can be bought at PublicTheater.org or by calling 212.967.7555.

Jessica Kramer is staff critic. E-mail her at theater@nyunews.com.

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