‘Peerless’ Reaches Back Even While Proving Prescient

As the curtain rises on Primary Stages’s production of “Peerless,” a college acceptance letter drops from the ceiling, landing in the center of the stage with a smack, like divine intervention — or a bomb — setting the play into motion. Playwright Jiehae Park was in residence at the MacDowell Colony when inspiration struck while on a tight deadline for another project. “Late one night, I thought about ‘Macbeth,’” she said in conversation with dramaturg Amy Boratko. “Whenever I read or see that play, I always get bored after Lady Macbeth leaves. What compels me the most about Shakespeare’s play is the relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. So, I thought, what if Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were two Asian-American twin girls?”The result? A richly written, “Heathers”-esque black comedy for the modern college application process. Of all the many productions I’ve seen at 59E59 Theaters, this is the black diamond in the crown. In this reimagining of “The Scottish Play,” as some more superstitious theatergoers call it, Asian-American twins M and L are dead-set on going to The College. They’ve sacrificed everything for admission — from their location, referred to as “nowheresville,” to timing, as one twin stayed behind in school to stagger their chances. “You and then me,” they repeat like a mantra as they press their foreheads together. “You and then me.” When D, an unassuming classmate played by the painfully sympathetic Benny Wayne Sully, is admitted in “their” place partly on the strength of being one-sixteenth Native American, they resort to seeking acceptance by any means necessary. (In this case, the means are exploiting D’s tree nut allergy and watching him choke to death while holding the epipen as his brother with cystic fibrosis listens helplessly in the bathroom.)Ms. Park, who was inspired by real-life crime duo June and Jennifer Gibbons, posits an epic challenge to two players in particular: Sasha Diamond and Shannon Tyo. The twins are dressed identically by costume designer Amanda Gladu, save for red and yellow accents that are used to denote (or subvert) their identities. Ms. Diamond and Ms. Tyo, often speaking in Sorkin-paced shared lines (another nod to the Bard), strike the perfect balance between individuality and sameness, light and dark, love and hate for others and each other. The monochrome set by Kristen Robinson, all in cobalt blue (reminiscent of the 2014 Off-Broadway production of “Heathers: The Musical”) is a perfect playground for the capable actors. The technical elements are sparse and supportive, integrated seamlessly by director Margot Bordelon, who has been with the production since its conception at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2015. Ms. Park’s piece was published years ago, and her vision was prophetic. A few years later, the most notorious college admissions scandal of our time would captivate the news cycle. Fifty people, including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were charged with crimes including bribery and document fabrication to cheat their children’s way into elite universities. The questions Ms. Park raises are relevant as ever. What happens when we enable when we racialize and commoditize the most fragile members of society? What cruelty do we enable when we see each other merely as statistics? “I’m very interested in the cost of what we call ‘success’ as a nation. Parents understandably want their children to be exceptional, and culturally it feels like we’re instilling these values and a kind of single-minded ambition at younger and younger ages,” Ms. Park said in the interview with Ms. Boratko. “It’s frightening. It’s also awe-inspiring — to see what such young people can accomplish, but it comes at a cost.”

‘Peerless’ Reaches Back Even While Proving Prescient

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