I NEED THAT

Review by Celia Ipiotis

Who’s to say why we hold onto memories in the form of objects? Losing someone leaves a subconscious black hole, one that is sometimes filled with physical stuff — suggesting one’s memory of a loved one isn’t reliable enough. 

Sam (Danny DeVito) might be holding his wife close to him through an avalanche of clothes, books, games and all manner of bric brac, but he’s neat, yes, that’s right. He’s pretty picky about his messes. No dropping stuff on the floor or making “a mess.” After all, the kitchen and bathrooms are spotless  because Sam, the bereaved husband, has standards. He’s not a slob, just a “collector” of memories. In a living room (set by Alexander Dodge) where objects are strewn across the floor obliterating furniture, couches and the floor, the only items that show any sense of order are the plates hanging, lined up above the opening to the kitchen. 

Daily visits by his daughter, Lucy (also DeVito’s real life daughter Lucy DeVito) register as both intrusions and clicks into reality. Besides her, his friend Foster (Ray Anthony Thomas)  ambles over daily bringing day- old croissants. Comfortable with one another, Sam constantly regales Foster with stories about the personal value of items that clearly hold some financial worth.

In a Dosey Doe of entrances and exits efficiently timed by director  Moritz von Stuelpnagel, the story unspools  around DeVito’s wife’s death  and estranged, large Catholic family. When the fire department threatens eviction due to the mess, the stress piles up.

Without giving anything away, Sam is mighty tolerant of his friend Forster’s lapses of conscience and of his daughter’s own insecurities. The deeply convincing and lovable DeVito hums along expertly tossing lines entertainingly between his daughter and Thomas.

At one point, in a heart-felt soliloquy, Sam muses on the link between board games and family memories of everyone gathering together in a an embrace of giddy one-upmanship. So simple, yet so profound. Despite the cringe factor people might harbor about Theresa Rebeck’s  I Need That ,this very humane and humorous play uplifts as much as it questions the fragility and depth of human psyches. 

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis