Broadway Theater Review: Children of a Lesser God TOP PICK

 Joshua Jackson, Anthony Edwards and Lauren Ridloff. Photo: Matthew Murphy

Children of a Lesser God

By Mark Medoff

Directed by Kenny Leon

Roundabout Theatre Company

By Lauren Yarger

The 2017-2018 season is shaping up to be remembered for its great play revivals, including the first of the 1980 Tony Award winner, Children of a Lesser God. Sharply directed by Kenny Leon, this play about the clash of hearing and non-hearing worlds is almost three hours of theater bliss at Studio 54.

Former Deaf Miss America Lauren Ridloff, who received a best-actress nomination last year in the Berkshires for her turn as Sarah Norman, reprises the role here opposite Joshua Jackson, star of TV's "The Affair," as James Leeds, whose recollection of events form the action of Children's story of how he met and fell in love with his speech therapy student.

At first, communication is difficult between the hearing teacher with "lazy" sign-language skills and the rebellious girl who doesn't like the idea that people think she isn't "normal" if she doesn't hear. She's sensitive about the subject -- her father abandoned her when he discovered she was deaf and she is estranged from her mother, (Kecia Lewis), who struggles with trying to be accepting while wanting what's best for her daughter-- which is not to be deaf, or at least to be able to function as best as she can in the hearing world.

When romance blooms for the couple, the two worlds are forced together. Sarah finds some contentment in marriage with James, but difficulties arise, especially when her husband reveals that he wouldn't be excited if their children were born deaf. Meanwhile, she can't share his profound love for music, for example. . .  so just how close can they be beyond sex? That connection was the basis for every relationship Sarah has had with hearing men.  It is one area where she can excel without needing to hear. . . But the physical can only provide temporary comfort to block out the emotional issues. For Sarah to effectively maneuver in James's world, she depends on his constant interpretation.

Orin Dennos (John McGinty), Sarah's long-time friend,  wants her to join him in his fight for deaf rights. Even their school, run by nerdy Mr. Franklin (Anthony Edwards in an impressive Broadway debut), discriminates and doesn't hire non-hearing teachers. A lawyer, Edna Klein (Julie Cerda), is brought in, but even that proves problematic as Klein feels she must speak for the deaf students rather than letting them speak for themselves. Treshelle Edmond rounds out the super cast as Lydia, another deaf student who would like to be romantically involved with James.

McGinty and Edmond speak as well as sign their dialogue, bringing into focus how isolated Sarah is. All of the spoken lines are projected via super titles incorporated into the minimal set design by Derek McLane, but when Sarah signs, there is no translation and we don't know what she is saying until James tells us.

Leon seamlessly fuses conversations taking place at different places to create an exquisite storytelling tableau (in my opinion, the best work to date from the Tony-Award-winning director. Look for another nomination here and for a Best-actress nomination for Ridloff as well.)

The story still is timely decades after the play's debut.

Children of a Lesser God makes us sit up and listen at Roundabout's Studio 54, 254 West 54th St., NYC.

Tickets: telecharge.com; 212-239-6200

Additional credits:

 Dede Ayite (costume design), Mike Baldassari (lighting design), Jill BC Du Boff (sound design), Branford Marsalis (original music), Alexandria Wailes (director of artistic sign language).

Information:

Closed captioning is available through the GalaPro app and American Sign Language interpreters will be present as select performances. For dates and to buy tickets to these select performances, visit childrenofalessergodbroadway.com.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:

--Language

--God's name taken in vain

--Brief nudity