Near the end of the first act of The Sum of Us, Harry Mitchell briefly consoles his son Jeff after a promising date has ended badly. Jeff has taken it hard, seeing it as another sign that he will never find love. Harry, on the surface, gives him a “buck up” slap on his back, and strolls off to bed. But in Brian Mani’s knowing performance, it’s a gesture that will put a lump in your throat.
Harry, you see, knows Jeff’s loneliness and fear. And also knows there is only so much he can do for his son. In Mani’s fatherly back-slap, there’s a sweet and telling pause, a moment when you half expect Harry to pull his son up into a hug and erupt into empathetic sobs. But instead, a door is closed, and the lights dim.
That moment is one of several lovely heart-tugs to be found in David Stephens’ sweet little play, beautifully directed by Ray Jivoff for the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. It’s almost incidental that Jeff is gay, and that his broken heart is courtesy of a good-hearted bloke he’d been eyeing at the local gay pub for several weeks.
A lot has happened in the near-two decades since The Sum of Us was written. (The Australian Stevens is also known for his screenplays for Breaker Morant and A Town Like Alice.) He gets a lot of mileage from Harry’s overzealous acceptance of his son’s sexuality. He brings Jeff and his lovers morning tea in bed. He loves, and doesn’t shy away from, a good gay-themed double entendre. And even offers one date some gay porn—in case the two of them need help “getting started.”
But the heart of Stevens play is in the sweet dependence of this father-son relationship, its shifting terrain and the occasional heartbreak that is shared between them.
It’s a great showcase for Mani, who treats Harry’s eccentricities with even-keeled matter-of-factness. He’s the kind of guy you’d call “a character,” but Mani makes him a warm-blooded human being. Andy Truschinski brings a great sense of puppy-dog vulnerability to Jeff. And Nicholas Harazin and Tami Workentin find ways to make their supporting characters vivid and charming. Ray Jivoff directs with a sure sense of timing and detail. But, most importantly, he gives The Sum of Us the full measure of humanity it deserves.
Photo Credit: Mark Frohna Photography
Review- The Sum of Us
Near the end of the first act of The Sum of Us, Harry Mitchell briefly consoles his son Jeff after a promising date has ended badly. Jeff has taken it hard, seeing it as another sign that he will never find love. Harry, on the surface, gives him a “buck up” slap on his back, and strolls off to bed. But in Brian Mani’s knowing performance, it’s a gesture that will put a lump in your throat. Harry, you see, knows Jeff’s loneliness and fear. And also knows there is only so much he can do for his son.…
