Growing Up and Breaking Out

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

As Stephen once wrote for a youngster growing up under treacherous circumstances, Little Red Ridinghood, “Isn’t it nice to know a lot? / And a little bit not.”

Earlier in Sondheim’s “Into The Woods,” Little Red also points out that “nice is different than good.” Current case in point: the shambolic yet oddly affectionate family at the center of “Scarcity,” Lucy Thurber’s engrossing look at ambition and ambivalence on the wrong side of the tracks. Little Red’s moral distinction is borne out by each and every of Ms. Thurber’s cantankerous family members — including another little girl growing up quicker than she’d prefer.

Herb (Michael T. Weiss) may return to his western Massachusetts home in handcuffs many nights, ushered by his cop cousin-in-law, Louie (Todd Weeks), and the dialogue between him and his wife, Martha (Kristen Johnston, who adds a bruised melancholy to her usual comic persona with remarkable ease), frequently devolves into paint-blistering profanity. But the family members all seem to make an effort, however shortsighted or even perverse, to act in the interests of the others. That includes their two kids, 16-year-old Billy (Jesse Eisenberg) and his precocious younger sister, Rachel (Meredith Brandt), both of whom appear to have a lot more IQ points than they do options. Billy is having a particularly hard time reconciling his rough-hewn background with his newfound options at the Progressive school. This struggle draws him into a dangerously close relationship with Miss Roberts (Maggie Kiley), an attractive young Ivy League graduate looking to study how the other half learns. Ms. Thurber and director Jackson Gay have crafted an uncomfortable yet eminently watchable Northeastern Gothic out of the mutually beneficial but nonetheless treacherous relationship between Miss Roberts, with her toxic strain of “noble savage” condescension, and the volatile Billy, who is exploding with a desire to get into a boarding school and out of that house. Walt Spangler’s set and Ilona Somogyi’s costumes certainly help make his case. From Louie’s vomit-caked uniform (courtesy of Herb) to the duct-taped recliner to the generic can of cola that Billy uses to treat a black eye (Martha forgot to refill the ice tray), the aesthetic is one of benign neglect personified. “You come out to towns like this, and it’s as if time stood still,” Miss Roberts naïvely gushes to Billy, who clearly would have chosen a different hour to stop the clock.

As strong as Ms. Thurber’s ear is for the upheavals of family life in close quarters, both before and after the intrusion of this moneyed interloper, the author has a tendency to drown out these gentler, truer chords with metaphors. This holds especially true for Rachel’s incessant manipulation of her Tarot cards, an unnecessary extension of the author’s fatalism. “Scarcity” has strong, messy, vibrant characters, the sort who could and would make their needs known without resorting to these sorts of devices.

But while their needs are occasionally overstated, their motivations remain pleasingly inscrutable. It’s never clear whether Billy’s feelings toward Miss Roberts are affectionate or confused or purely mercenary, and this seems somehow appropriate. Adolescence isn’t known for its emotional exactitude, and Ms. Thurber and Mr. Gay are wise to back off on the specifics. (They are fortunate enough to have in Mr. Eisenberg a young actor more than capable of juggling these intricate feelings.) Some of the dynamics among Herb, Martha, and the covetous Louie delve into similarly oblique nooks and crannies, and the overall impression is of a messed-up family being true to one another in their fashion.

“The trick is, kid, you’ve got to learn to ignore us,” Herb uselessly counsels Rachel after one blowup. “If you can, just learn to do that; you’ll be okay.” It is her and Billy’s curse, of course, that this is impossible. And while forgetting Herb, Martha, and their raucous brood may be more feasible for the rest of us, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Until October 14 (336 W. 20th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-239-6200).


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use