Review: 'The Lifespan of a Fact' at Theatre Nova
It’s a hot topic today—what makes up a fact? What is true? Why do different people have different outlooks on the truth? Can truth be found in fiction? Should all non-fiction be factual?
Once, when I was seven or eight years old, my father regaled the readers of his weekly column with the adventures of a playground trip. I read it (because I always read my dad’s columns) and was outraged.
“Dad! That’s not what I said,” I objected, repeating to him what my actual words had been. It was then he tried to explain to me the concept of “creative license” and how sometimes you take liberties when telling a story.
I was only somewhat appeased.
“The Lifespan of a Fact” by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell, is a show that is starting to pop up everywhere. It is getting its Michigan premiere at Theatre Nova in Ann Arbor. Yes, its popularity is in part due to it having only three people in it since when we need to be distanced, fewer is better.
But it is also a show that is popular because it raises a lot of questions and, like John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt” before it, calls on the audiences to decide what is right and what is wrong. The play—which featured Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones and Bobby Cannavale when it was on Broadway—is based on a book, a non-fiction reporting of an essay and the fact checking process. The book was written by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal where they struggle together with the question of creative license versus factual accuracy.
At first, the answer seems obvious. Jim Fingal, played by Justin Montgomery, is a fresh-out-of-Harvard intern who is eager to prove himself at the big New York magazine. Emily Penrose, played by Diane Hill, is ready to give him that chance by asking him to fact-check an essay that they are going to publish in less than a week. She warns him that the author likes to play fast and loose with the details.
The essay is a compelling one. That is the one thing everyone agrees on. It has the potential to change and maybe even save lives. It examines why suicide is so common in Las Vegas and helps people to understand what might drive someone to suicide. However, the writer John D’Agata played by Andrew Huff, tells a lyrical, culture-shifting story by making the facts fit his narrative rather than vice versa. The way a number sounds is more important than whether it is the right number and—what difference does a second make, the characters ask?
Theater necessarily compacts time. In reality, there was a far longer process of fact-checking. The audience is forced to suspend disbelief that the publication had only two opposite choices about a specific hour deadline (and to pretend that a story goes straight from editing to print without any layout, graphics or other steps).
A very talky show, Director Carla Milarch keeps the stage pictures tight while frequently finding reasons to move the actors and keep the energy high. There is no intermission—few theaters are having intermission these days because of COVID concerns—and Milarch avoids audience fatigue with her orchestration of tension and energy. It’s an important choice when directing a play that is ultimately about the intricacies of editing non-fiction.
In particular, Milarch handles the final five minutes of the show in superior fashion, ensuring that the audience is deeply immersed and invested in the final outcome.
Montgomery takes the audience on a journey in which they immediately identify with him only to eventually question whether he is taking things too far. He imbues Jim with an earnestness and ambition while also slowly revealing how his approach might be overly pedantic or maybe obsessive-compulsive. He leads the audience to question just how far one should go in the pursuit of perfection. At what point does it make more sense to give up a fight?
Hill is very much at home in this role. She wears the weariness and stress of a major magazine executive on her face. Her character has spent a career balancing the demands of publishing with the eccentricities of authors. Emily knows when to groom someone and when to pull them up short. Hill gives her hard edges, but still portrays the sheen of idealism over all the decisions she makes. Emily is a true believer in storytelling. Hill manages to portray all of that in the very careful choices she makes with each line delivery.
John’s story arc is one that Huff handles with aplomb. He balances the bully with the artist, the arrogance with the earnestness. He makes sure that while John isn’t always likeable, he can’t be written off as wrong or unnecessary.
Lighting and Projections Designer Xavier Williamson contributes to the show’s tone and pacing, helping to both identify the passage of time and the intensity of emotions while moving the audience focus from center stage to the aisles for phone conversations. Projections reveal emails and track the deadline that creeps ever closer.
Set Designer Monica Spencer actually won applause and murmurs of approval during a scene change where the flats rotate and the desk turns into a couch. She makes the most of the small stage and everything gets used to the best effect.
Theatre Nova has re-opened its doors with a thoughtful show that entertains while presenting challenging questions.