Life in a Marital Institution by monologuist James Braly

Theater: Ars Nova, NYC.
Show Title: Life in a Marital Institution
An autobiographical monologue, written and performed by James Braly.
Opened: May 16, 2007
Seen: May 30, 2007
Reviewer: Peter Kelston
Submitted: June 1, 2007

This piece of personal theater is an unmitigated pleasure. James Braly is a delightful discovery.

Devotees of this category of solo performance should run, not walk, to see James Braly's next appearance, wherever that might be. His writing is precise. His manner is engaging. His stories are captivating. His characterizations are fully drawn, even when they're brief. His delivery is polished. His voice is mellifluous.

He tells us about some of the push and pull and give and take of a long marriage, but this is far from the anti-marriage rant that might be inferred from the title and subtitle "20 Years of Monogamy in One Terrifying Evening." His honesty and mildly self-deprecating sense of humor are readily apparent.

Unfortunately, the performance on May 30th was the last of only three scheduled in NYC. Check his website (www.jamesbraly.com) for times and locations of upcoming performances. (Westport, Ct; Edinburgh Fringe Festival)

In this category, Spalding Gray is the gold standard. I'm very pleased to report that James Braly has the potential to become a most worthy successor.

We can still catch a large dose of Spalding currently running at the Minetta Lane; and Mike Daisey can hold our interest with his keen observations, sweaty enthusiasm and his set piece; but nothing can surpass autobiographical observations eloquently written and calmly told in the first person. Braly's charm and his potential are apparent in his words, his insight and his style.

His manner is upscale, casual and comfortable. He wears a suit without a tie. His language is Ivy-league sophisticated but accessible, easygoing and understated. He sits upright on a side chair facing the audience, alternately crossing and uncrossing his legs. Occasionally he stands next to the chair. His changing position and the purposeful lighting signal the different locales and time-frames in his narrative.

We meet his siblings, his parents, his college girlfriend and wife, the traveling companions they meet in Europe, their children, and some of their neighbors. He takes us from a quiet hospice room in Texas where his sister lays dying of cancer as their dysfunctional family gathers and her most recent boyfriend (a tattooed, long-haired Australian) arranges a bedside wedding; to his contentious first meeting with his future wife (from whom he's now separated) in a pastry shop near Columbia University; to their back-packing vacation through Europe; to the very risky home birth of his second child in their luxury apartment on Central Park West (he used to be speechwriter for corporate executives); to a gathering of neighbors at their new residence in upstate New York.

He speaks to his audience as if he's just pushed his chair away from the table at the end of the meal at a casual dinner party at home with close friends. The stories flow like after-dinner conversation, as easy to take as dessert and coffee. I would have been happy to stay and listen longer.

I look forward to seeing and hearing a lot more from Mr. Braly.

Peter Kelston
theaterluvr@optonline.net