“The Village Bike” – at the Lucille Lortel Theatre
It has been called The Lucille Lortel Theatre for a long time, yet in my head I hear, “The Theatre de Lys.” This theater at 121 Christopher Street in the heart of the West Village has long been a theater landmark—the go-to destination for unique theater fare.
The theater was built in 1926 as the New Hudson movie theater, which contained 590 seats. It later became The Hudson Playhouse. In 1955, a wealthy theater lover named Louis Schweitzer bought the building as an anniversary present for his wife, actress-producer Lucille Lortel. They used the name Theatre de Lys, and Lortel was seriously involved in running the theater and choosing what would appear on its stage. In 1955, on Lucille Lortel’s 81st birthday, the theater was renamed in her honor. The theater has since remained one of the jewels of the Village scene. Now long gone, the revered name of de Lys resounds in memory and theater folklore. Anyone who roamed around the Village in days of yore, as well as theater buffs everywhere, can’t help think of the remarkable production of The Threepenny Opera starring Lotte Lenya, Bea Arthur, John Astin, Scott Merrill, Gerald Price, Charlotte Rae and Jo Sullivan. It was the beginning of the Greenwich Village Off-Broadway explosion of the l950’s. It even had its own production contract. Threepenny ran for over six years, a record for its time.
The current tenant at the Lortel is MCC’s production of The Village Bike by English playwright Penelope Skinner. In the play, we meet the young and attractive Becky, who is pregnant but not showing yet, and John, her stiff, committed husband. Then we get a reversal of gender roles. John can’t stop talking about diapers and the wonders of babyhood; he’s passionate about the coming baby. Becky is turned on by sex and the fantasies that go with it. We usually get the man’s point of view, so it is refreshing to see a woman with a sexual energy that we can relate to. And the big delight is that Becky is played by Greta Gerwig. The proof of the pud is in the eating; she is quite a taste. She was wonderful in the independent film Frances Ha and deserved the rave reviews. Here, in her stage debut, she proves that she is a real actress with a difficult role that she plays with charm. She is funny, poignant and sexy when she needs to be. Becky, not ready to settle into momydom, flirts with a clueless plumber (a very good Max Baker) who can only think about fixing her “sweaty pipes.” He is no good for Becky, but there is more than one fish in the pond. Things really heat up when she gets involved with a womanizer, who is married—but you wouldn’t know it. Oozing strut, confidence and aggressive charm, he sells her the bike and sticks around for the ride. Oliver, played by Scott Shepard, goes toe to toe with Greta Gerwig; they are both terrific. Wonderful turns. Village Bike turns conventional, which is too bad, but we’ve had such a good time getting there that it really doesn’t matter. The title The Village Bike is English slang – “anyone can ride it.” A bit crude but catchy.
Sam Gold’s direction is sure handed and very effective; he makes the play work. It is worth seeing.
