By Ron Fassler . . .
A Simulacrum is a world premiere production presented by the Atlantic Theatre Company and co-written by Lucas Hnath with Steve Cuiffo. Hnath, a playwright whose credits include such evocative pieces as The Christians, A Doll’s House 2 and Dana H., does not disappoint with this new and highly unusual, if modest, theater event. He describes the impetus of its creation this way:
“It’s a piece about work. I’m really interested in how people do the things that they do, how do they make the things that they make, why do they make the things that they make, and what’s really difficult about making the things that we make.”
Hnanth’s subject is his friend Steve Cuiffo, a sleight-of-hand artist and illusion designer who has, most emphatically, put in the hours over the years. The play is a dialogue between Hnath and Cuiffo, though only Cuiffo is seen on stage for its 85-minute running time. Hnath provides an off-screen voice presented as if the two are on Zoom, the format that eventually begat fifty hours of conversation over a year and a half’s time. A condensed chronicle of that dynamic, chock full of conflict, might sound strange, but it really isn’t. Any artist who goes through self-doubt, recriminations, moments of high joy and depths of despair, will relate as the drama heads deep into the weeds of the thicket called creation.
The synchronizing of Hnath’s voice involves the audience hearing Hnath’s side of the conversation (a set recording) while Cuiffo recreates his half live. As the program notes state: “[Cuiffo] wears an in-ear device that is synced to the tape track—that device feeds him his half of the edited recording. He would perform his track as is, every vocal intonation, utterance, breath, stray noise—he’d recreate his side of the recording exactly . . . once [he] presses play on a side of the tape, there’s no turning back. He has to stay perfectly in sync or else the performance will fall apart . . . a high-wire act.”
What helps immeasurably is that Cuiffo has a charming presence. His natural warmth is due entirely to his comfort level in front of people. As he informs us, other than performing his magic he’s never had any other job from grammar school through college. “I was supposed to be an actor, but it became a way of life.” That said, I would cast him in a conventional play in a heartbeat. Actors train for years to achieve what he can do easily, which is speaking without artifice and drawing his audience close. And then, of course, there are his skills as a magician, which are the result of a life dedicated to its mastery. In discussing one specific trick, Cuiffo’s response to a question from Hnath about how long it took for him to perfect it, was matter of fact: “fourteen years,” and said with a shrug.
It is that kind of extreme dedication the evening examines, especially in the ways Cuiffo’s involvement in such an all-encompassing art requires so much of him. As one example, his relationship to his wife, Eleanor, is put under the microscope—and she becomes an unseen third character, to good effect (late in the evening, we get to hear her on the tapes). In terms of plotting, the play follows a traditional three-act structure, with the first part setting up who it is we’re spending time with; the second part forces Cuiffo to confront why he does what he does; and the third, wherein he fulfills an assignment from Hnath, satisfyingly brings the play full circle. Along the way, the audience gets to see the journey of the routine from its embryonic stage to complete fruition (even throwing in the nature of failure along the way, by theory and example). I could describe these awesome bits of prestidigitation, but better you go and enjoy the thrill of discovering it all in the moment.
Hnath directs things himself minimally, which is the same adjective applicable to its production design, by way of contributions from Louisa Thompson (set) Qween Jean (costumes) and Tyler Micoleau (lighting). The crucial sound design is the work of Mikhail Fiksel.
For anyone interested in the adventure of discovery that pertains to how a magic routine is conceived, practiced and ultimately performed, you won’t be bored for a second at A Simulacrum. Magic is in the air.
A Simulacrum. Through July 2 at the Atlantic Stage 2 (330 West 16th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). www.atlantictheater.org
Photos: Ahron R. Foster
