Lakeplay

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Imagine that amid a raging pandemic, you can escape to a calm and quiet place on the shores of a beautiful lake. You and your spouse have a comfortable cabin with nearly everything you need for a month or more. The cabin even comes with a caretaker, who, at first, seems like a perfect addition to the benign atmosphere of the cabin, but in reality, adds a bit of a Twilight Zone feel to the time by the lake.

Welcome to Lakeplay, a character study-play written by Drew Valins and directed by Hamilton Clancy. It is billed as “a terrifying adventure” but does not live up to that description. There are moments of suspense, but not terror-filled. If being frightened by a story is what you are looking for, this is not the show for you. The show is more of a work in progress with issues relating to the venue, sets, and unevenness of some of the scenes.

Dan (Matt Lee) and Vib (Pëtra Denison) have left the claustrophobic confines of their one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn to spend a month in a lakeside cabin in upstate New York. It’s 2020, and they are escaping from the COVID pandemic that is ravaging New York City and the rest of the country. Escaping the city is not their only goal on this trip; making a baby is also on the agenda.

The opening scene gives some insight into Dan and Vib’s relationship. Dan is an unemployed writer who recently taught math in a high school, and she is a photographer. He is working on a novel, she is taking pictures, and the two are working on starting a family. A subtle tension in their interactions hints at things not being completely okay with the relationship. Lee and Denison’s characterizations are well-formed and present solidly believable characters.

While Dan is unloading the car, which is not easy because of the steep stairs leading to the parking area, Vib looks at the cabin’s interior. She is uneasy with what she sees. There are black-and-white photos on the walls and a bookcase with images of people from a different time. The bed is an old-fashioned four-poster, and the lamps have a bygone-era feel.

While this setting is intended to convey a feeling of unease, the set does not present a sense of foreboding. It is a well-lit, old-fashioned bedroom with a bunch of old pictures. One would expect it at a lakeside cabin in upstate New York. Denison tries to convey a sense of disquiet with what she sees, but the room’s benign appearance masks her feelings. This initial feeling is manifested more directly after an electric power issue resulting from using space heaters. At that moment, Vib sees what she thinks is the ghost of a young boy.

The person from whom they rented the cabin is a woman named Kimber (Karla Hendrick). Her name is mentioned in the second scene without referencing who she is or what she represents. The following scene is in kayaks, and it only becomes clear in the context of the dialogue who Kimber is in the story. Some details about who she is and who she was before she came to the lake are superficially revealed, such as the fact that she is/was a sculptor. Kimber appears to be an eccentric who is not only physically isolated but also mentally isolated. Although perceptive and intuitive, she is guarded by what she is really thinking. The conversation also reveals more indications of an underlying tension between Dan and Vib regarding having a child.

The kayaking scene seems out of place since it takes place in the afternoon, the day after Dan and Vib arrive and have yet to unpack fully. Given the circumstances of the off-season rental, meeting the cabin’s caretaker in a kayak on the lake seems unrealistic.

The core of the play concerns the issue of baby-making. Each time Dan and Vib talk about having sex, the conversation reveals ambivalence from both characters. Lee and Denison do an excellent job embodying the characters’ emotional conflict over starting a family without addressing the issue directly. Dan has an issue with maintaining an erection to the point where he sometimes uses Viagra. Vib distracts herself with concerns about the strangeness she feels because of the pictures and stories about a shipwreck.

All the dancing around the issue comes to a head when Dan fails to perform after preparing for a special night of romance and sex. In the immediate aftermath of this event, Kimber shows up at the cabin, and the story takes a dark turn.

Hendrick’s embodiment of Kimber is consistent but uneven. At times, the character is open and approachable, and at other times, intense and emotionally dark. While these changes in presentation would be consistent with a character representing a frightening presence, Kimber does not come through as having a menacing quality. It is necessary to instill a sense of fear in the other characters. Only Viv is open about being uncomfortable with Kimber, while Dan is ambivalent.

The really dark side of Kimber comes through late in the play when Viv calls out to her after a failed attempt at sex with Dan and him running away from the cabin. In this scene, Hendrick and Denison are solid in their character portrayals as Kimber tells a chilling story from her past that intrudes into the present moment. Near the end of the scene, Dan reappears, and what follows raises the question of what is real and what is a dream. It is the most compelling part of the play and answers questions about the nature of the characters’ relationships.

One of the difficulties with the play is the venue. The story needs a much larger space to present a state of suspense bordering on terror. Jennifer Varbalow’s set presents the cabin’s porch with a door leading into the main bedroom, which is different from what would be expected in a lakeside cabin. The bedroom itself does not have a dark, foreboding quality that would impart the unease one of the characters feels. The choice of props and the lighting used do not lead to a feeling of discomfort.

Eric Nightengale’s lighting and sound design effectively support the various scenes. Michaela Lind’s costume design works well with the time period and the personalities of the characters.

Lakeplay (through October 20, 2024)

The Drilling Company and ARA Productions

The Wild Project, 195 East 3^rd Street, in Manhattan.

For tickets, visit https://tickets.drillingcompany.org/event?e=2v9

Running time: two hours including one intermission