"The Headlands" at ACT

 

ACT production photo by Kevin Berne

I always look forward to new work from Christopher Chen, a local playwright (and graduate of UC Berkeley--Go Bears!) who always writes complex works that misdirect and play with audience expectations. I was especially keen to see his new play, The Headlands, because it is set in San Francisco, which is always a treat.

The Play

The Headlands starts out breaking the fourth wall, with the central character, Henry, addressing the audience directly and telling us about his hobby, investigating unsolved crimes. His current obsession is the unsolved death (murder?) of his own father, George, an immigrant from China who married Leena, a third-generation Chinese American whose family is very successful and assimilated. He often involves his girlfriend, Jess, in the investigation.

As the investigation turns up new information, Henry constantly pivots his view of the mystery, and also of his family's story. The twists are less abrupt than those in some of Chen's earlier works, such as Caught or You Mean to Do Me Harm, but the overall effect of constantly-shifting directions is typical of Chen's work.

The story comes to a head with the introduction of the mysterious character Tom, remembered from Henry's youth as an unknown and strange presence, who turns out to play a key role in the mystery.

Ultimately the story is less successful as a noir whodunit than it is as an exploration of the vagaries of memory and the stories families tell about themselves, but it's an interesting and engrossing yarn.

The Production

First off, solid local cast. Phil Wong as Henry is excellent. I've enjoyed his work for several years, but mostly in supporting roles. It's nice to see him in a central role. Sam Jackson as Jess is outstanding as always. Erin Mei-Ling Stuart is strong as Leena (as is Keiko Shimosato Carreiro as the older Leena and also her best friend, Pat). And Johnny M. Wu as the stoic George is terrific throughout. Tom (normally played by Jomar Tagatac, but understudied in our performance by Alex Hsu) was the only kind of miss, as the actor seemed too old for the role and not terribly comfortable in it. Charles Shaw Robinson does a wonderful, humorous turn as an aging SF detective.

The set design by Alexander V. Nichols seems simple at times, but like the plot of the play it has some very intricate aspects. I'm not generally a huge fan of revolving set pieces, but I will admit that this set mostly uses it effectively. Director Pan MacKinnon keeps the action moving nicely; I think this is the best work I've seen from her since she joined ACT.

Bottom Line

I enjoyed the play. I wouldn't say it's Chen's best work, but it does represent an advance for him, in that the plot replies less on just changing circumstances and revelations for its interest, and more on the development of characters and investigation of their thoughts and feelings.

I'm pleased to see ACT producing and supporting local work with local actors. For too long they have relied on bringing in material and performers from out of the area, which has really hurt both the theater and the local theater scene. I hope this represents a return to a more local focus.

Overall, it's an encouraging part of this season. I look forward to seeing what comes next. The Headlands runs through tomorrow (March 5th) at ACT's Toni Rembe Theatre (formerly the Geary).