Review Although parts are good, 'Burn' lacking as a whole

If the whole is only as good as the sum of its parts, then Theatre Arts' opening night performance of Lanford Wilson's Burn This had plenty of good "parts." These highlights included excellent performances by College sophomore Jonathan Pitt and College junior Anthony Byrnes and a particularly attractive set design by College senior Dipu Gupta. Pitt's performance was near-perfect, portraying the homosexual Larry with just the right amount of humor and sincerity. Larry is the character which offers the audience comic relief, and Pitt's comic timing was superb. Director Sara Rutstein, a College senior, also deserves credit for not making Larry too comical. Her direction allowed the audience to perceive Larry as a character with whom they could laugh as well as relate. As the emotionally mixed-up Pale, Byrnes's performance was equally well executed. Byrnes's rare ability to portray Pale's violent mood swings with a ringing sense of realism made his angry tirades never seem overly forced or contrived. Engineering junior Rafe Pery, as the screenwriter Burton, gave a good performance, but his costume in the first act severely minimized its impact. Dressed in sweats and a Dodgers cap, Pery looked more like an adolescent teenager than an adult male, making it difficult to see him as involved in a loving adult relationship. It would be too strong to say that Julia Rose's performance as Anna was lacking, but it was noticeably less convincing than those given by her co-actors. While Byrnes's portrayal of Pale, one of Anna's love interests, was deeply revealing, the audience never really saw beyond Anna's surface personality. Much deserved kudos go to set designer Gupta who created a startlingly realistic set in the small stage space of the Studio Theater. With very little space to work with, Gupta built a set which complements the performance wonderfully. One other important note is the play's length. While the script sustains interest throughout the story, the performance, including intermission, lasts over two hours. This, however, should not stop audiences from experiencing the show. Burn This continues in the Annenberg Center's Studio Theater through Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available on Locust Walk.

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