Review: MTC's The American Pilot

Moxie recently took in an early preview of The American Pilot at Manhattan Theater Club. The play is terrifying, emotional, and intelligent, though largely humorless. Because writing plot summaries makes Moxie want to pluck out her armpit hairs one by one, here's MTC's summary:

"In a rural village in a war-torn country, an American pilot crash-lands. Should the villagers in the region help him, murder him or use him as a pawn in a dangerous game with the enemy? This powerful, topical and very human new play just earned raves at London's Royal Shakespeare Company. This new production will mark its eagerly anticipated American premiere."

Aaron Stanton plays the injured and captive pilot with gut-wrenching accuracy. The Pilot's lines mostly consist of barking out "My guys are coming for me! Get me a phone! Get me a phone or my government will bomb you!" and occasionally singing along to stale rap songs like "Gin and Juice," but Stanton creates a real picture of a good-natured air force boy from Georgia caught in a terrifying situation.

Anjali Bhimani and Rita Wolf are the strongest actors in the ensemble. Greig injects the minimal amount of warmth required into their characters - welcome in an expanse of melancholy, angry, fearful, and agitated men. Wolf is pragmatic and human as a wife trying to negotiate life in a war-torn country, and Bhimani is spirited and fierce as her headstrong daughter. However, the play never really allows them room to take a breath from the drama/trauma, and so, neither can the audience. As the American Pilot is held captive and tortured, the audience verges on feeling subjected to something, as well. Waleed Zuaiter also shines as the conflicted Captain, but again, is only allowed to show a select few colors in the one-noted script.

Ultimately, it's a really smart play that sheds new light on the multitude of horrors going on abroad right now. With the slew of stale, unkempt, and unfocused political dramas like Eve Ensler's The Treatment around these days, The American Pilot is a breath of fresh air. If only the air were just a bit sweeter at points, if only to make the play's many brilliant points more digestible. However, it is an early preview, so things will certainly change for the better!

Photo courtesy of playbill.com