The Mirror Sport relies on Marissa Flaxbart’s play A Mere Conception, which is the superior title. Directed by William J. Stribling, the primary third of this intimate drama is kind of tough. It begins with Rose (Teya Patt) coming into a resort room in Las Vegas. She’s pissed off that there’s just one King mattress as a substitute of two doubles like she wished. Finally, her childhood good friend, Abe (Michael Tennant), arrives. The 2 simply so occur to be in Las Vegas concurrently a part of separate bachelor/bachelorette events (although their itinerary is sort of similar).
Right here’s the place the problem is available in. Abe is all the time on, to the purpose of utter and absolute irritation. Viewers have but to study why the calmer Rose would nonetheless be pals with this putz for therefore lengthy. What she will get out of this friendship will not be clear in any respect. Abe asks about going out onto the city. Rose says she hoped they’d simply calm down and hand around in the resort room. Abe immediately launches right into a diatribe about how that’s nice as a result of Las Vegas provides glitz, however it’s all pretend (not a direct quote). In that or a special long-winded white noise speech that makes anybody watching want they may attain by means of the display and punch the male protagonist in his smug face, Abe says one thing patently false.
Abe states that the beauty of his and Rose’s relationship is that he doesn’t have to be “on.” However for the primary half of The Mirror Sport, he’s all the time on to the purpose of repelling potential viewers members. Nobody might fault any moviegoer for stopping the movie then and there and promptly shifting on with their lives. Sure, Abe is that bloody annoying.
“Rose asks Abe a favor. A favor so monumental that it’ll ceaselessly alter their relationship…”
Now, put together for the kicker, so to talk. There’s a motive Abe is obnoxious. See, a variety of the plot considerations Rose breaking down Abe’s partitions, partitions he may not even know he put up. Rose asks Abe a favor. A favor so monumental that it’ll ceaselessly alter their relationship and lives. With out spoiling something, to get an thought of what it’s, reread the title of the play (once more, it’s a superior title).
As irritating as Abe is, that’s as a result of writing, not the actor. Tennant is nice within the function; perhaps just a little too good, given how recoiling he makes the character. Nonetheless, because the story wears on and he wears down, Tennant reveals himself to be a human, not only a philosophical automaton adjusting his values based mostly on his present firm.
However actually, The Mirror Sport is a automobile for Teya Patt, and he or she delivers. By turns heartbreaking, candy, charming, and coldly matter-of-fact, the actor shines it doesn’t matter what is going on. She has an ending speech, recited to Abe, that hits each emotion heart potential. It’s a stellar efficiency and one that ought to land Patt any manufacturing she needs.
The Mirror Sport is made by its two lead performances (there may be actually just one different particular person within the solid). Tennant and Patt are glorious collectively, sharing a plausible bond. Sure, Abe’s dialogue goes far too onerous at instances early on, turning him right into a hyperactive cartoon reasonably than a human. Finally, that provides away, and a poignant story about two pals at a crossroads is left.
