Like That Old Relative Who Won't Go Away: A "Dragging" Visit at the Loeb Mainstage

the opening scene of The Visit of the Old Lady: A Tragicomedy of Love and Rapid Economic Growth Shows a bearded man, a man with long hair and a transvestite sitting on a bench, peering glumly into the audience.

It's the visual equivalent of the opening line of a not-very-politically-correct joke--the kind that begins: "There were three men, an Englishmen, an Australian and an Irishman..." This is a fairly good indication of what follows: the plot of this play comes across as a bizarre, facetious practical joke, with more than its fair share of one-liners.

The visit, director Richard Eoin Nash's rather loose adaptation of Friedrich Durrenmatt's Der Besuch der Alten Dame, deals with the return of Claire Washer, a not-particularly-prodigal daughter, to her home town of Slurryville after her transformation into Claire Trumpefeller, multibillionaire.

Slurryville, drowning in poverty, naturally hopes for a share of her largess, and Mrs. Trumpefeller agrees--but on one condition. It is only after she names that terrible condition that the play comes to life, after its rather ponderous beginning.

There are times when the viewer is convinced that Nash, the director, does his best to turn the play into an abominable cliche. For example, there is one particular scene where the transvestite (Ethan Golden) tries very hard to stimulate a banana with his mouth, and a gratuitous dream sequence where the townsfolk caper under a rain of purple light, performing choreographed imitations of everything from group sex to oral sex.

But the unashamed overacting of its cast save The Visit from being monotonous. From the flat-footed scenes where drably dressed women and shirtless men dance without grace (but with much abandon) to the nasal singing of the town choir, the paucity of the acting will enchant you.

Winsome Brown make a deliciously decrepit Claire Trumpefeller. Her role is a mix of the spoiled princess who wants the moon, the vengeful bitch, the Lady Bountiful and the tragic hero spoiled by circumstances. Brown manages to bring them together with surprising skill. However, Brown fails to make us see the passionate child that Claire used to be. Looking at Brown, the viewer sees only the narcissistic old woman of the present.

Andrew Watson plays Alfred III, Claire's Childhood Sweet heart. As the rather serious, sentimental mayor-to-be of today, Watson is consummately convincing. But he does not succeed in making the darker side of himself--the coward, the sinner, the betrayer--seem real. The viewer will remember him nonetheless, if only for the violent climax of the first act. To the accompaniment of Gavin Friday's Next, he writhes on stage in an agony of what might be orgasmic ecstasy or wild despair.

The Visit of the Old Lady: A Tragicomedy of Love and Rapid Economic Growth dir. Richard Nash at the Loeb mainstage Through April 11

Nash has done his best to foster precisely this ambiguity. He includes obvious symbols of mixed sexuality such as a transvestite and a pair of castrated men, as well as more subtle devices. For example, the viewer is fooled by the darkness into believing that a policeman seated at his desk is actually Claire's black panther in cage.

Nash plays around with a variety of themes, and it is impossible to tell which is his true focus, or even if there is one. Durrenmatt's own emphasis, on Germany and German issues, has been effectively excised to make this play a lot more universal.

The visit is definitely worth seeing, if only for one particular directional touch: the eccentric method Nash uses to high-light the stunning emotional moments in his play.