The American Plan by Richard Greenberg

This play set in the Catskills in 1959 comments on the ethnic, intellectual and sexual mores underlying American society at that time and, to a lesser extent, the effect of changes in the following decade.
Lili was played by a delightful Amy Welsh. She gave a first rate performance as the young mentally fragile daughter desperate to escape the influence of the mother at a Catskill resort.
Ava, played by Marsha Holt, is the wealthy mother, a manipulative refugee from Hitler’s Germany. Holt displayed a shrewdness and an increasing teutonic elegance, a little subdued initially but becoming surer as the story progressed.
Enter from out of the water, Nick, played by Gareth Walsh, the golden boy who wants to be an architect, who would like to ‘build a whole city’- outwardly self assured, it is a natural progression for the young Lili to fall in love and seek escape with him. Walsh gives a sensitive performance as the boy who has done it all, but knows he hasn’t.
In a notable performance by Manuao Te Aotonga, Nick’s ex lover Gil, conveniently arrives hoping to rekindle their relationship. Ava, suspicious of Nick’s motives and perhaps protective of her daughter, seizes upon the situation to encourage the liason between the ex lovers. In a sense, she exploits her daughter’s emotional and mental vulnerability. Is she manipulative, wise or needy? It is hard for the audience to view her compassionately.
Overseeing the action is Olivia the housekeeper, played by Sisell Brannick, a suitably supportive fulcrum between mother and daughter.
Each character has an agenda –and the outcomes do not converge, adding to the complexity and intrigue. Ten years later, conformist notions have changed with Vietnam war protests, feminism and the gay movement gaining momentum. Too late for these characters! Lili and Nick meet and it is sad that the opportunity for happiness has passed them by.
The performances were captivating and engaging, being ably and sensitively directed by Geoffrey Leeder, assisted by Chris Hughes. A great night of entertainment!

Glenda Prideaux

Photo: Gareth Walsh, Manuao TeAotonga in The American Plan