SECRET AGENTS

In Jessica Litwak’s play, a brother and sister, Mirium (Litwak) and David (Queer As Folk’s Peter Paige) spend their childhood playing ‘secret agent,’ with James Bond as their hero, revered for his style, courage, humor, and unflappability. Eventually they outgrow their fantasies, but Bond (played here by a dashing George Hertzberg) remains as a phantom ideal, and the essence of cool.

As they grow up, the bond of affection and intimacy they share begins to fray. Mirium becomes a mother, obsessed with her children, and David tries his luck as an actor in Hollywood. He has just begun to taste success when he learns that he is HIV+, a fact he feels he must hide, even from Mirium, lest it destroy his chances for employment.

Litwak’s play is non-linear, using an impressionistic structure to play off the past against the present, blending fact and fantasy, comedy and stark reality. The relationship between sister and brother is explored in depth, with all its complexity, love, and turbulence, and David is portrayed with deep affection. The play has the ring of autobiography, but if it is drawn from life, Litwak has painted a merciless self-portrait: Mirium is so over-emotional and self-centered that her brother dares not tell her his most painful truth. The scene in which he finally reveals to her his impending death is harrowing because instead of bringing them closer, it drives them apart. Her own pain is so intense that she can’t perceive his, or grasp the fact that for him, dealing with his own death is so all engrossing that he can no longer care about the problems of the living. So his demise leaves her battling with guilt, grief, insomnia and a host of tender and terrible memories.

Though the story sounds grim, in Litwak’s hands it’s also joyous, loving, and funny. Her humor runs rich and deep, and her wit prevents pathos from sinking into bathos. She reveals David’s charm, intelligence and promise as well as tragedy. Director Sue Hamilton finds a perfect balance, expertly blending the play’s diverse elements, and Paige provides a really lovely performance. He segues effortlessly between past and present, creating a rich and multi-layered portrait. Litwak makes Mirium a headstrong but touching figure, and Hertzberg stylishly depicts a sort of uber-Bond, an icon who stands in for David’s ideal, his lover, and finally, death itself. AIDS is, after all, a kind of secret agent, infiltrating by stealth.