Shhhh, The Class has Begun

Onstage Playhouse’s Latest Production Brings Mixed Feelings and Introspection

Oh, dear reader, in these times now, where people were not even born during 9/11, there is even another layer to consider. I remember talking to a co-worker, and then the question sparked “where were you during…” her answer? DAYCARE. I know, I know, this is some old people talk because here I am now on the other side of this. Per usual, I share these anecdotes with you as an invitation to my thought process with this work.

The Mercy Seat by Neil LaBute, written in 2002, is one of the earliest theatrical treatments of the horrendous event. As I said before, theatre is memory, and what better way to discuss than through the stage. Set on September 12 in a nice Manhattan loft, Ben (Aleksander D’Avignon) is sitting on the couch, speechless. The first scene, literally, visually, and createvely, starts with a bang as Ginger Chody’s lighting, mixed with contouring shadows and a bright orange, sets the mood, along with Jaden Guerrero’s sound, which, per usual, sets the mood in a precise and corresponding manner.

Abby (Ray-Anna Ranae) comes in with groceries. Ben loves Havarti cheese, so she went, I guess, as a gesture not to satisfy the craving but to calm the scare. There is tension, and Ben’s mobile phone is ringing nonstop, unanswered, which does not help. 

Abby, not happy but also numb, goes through the motions of prepping a cheeseboard. She is Ben’s senior by 12 years and his boss. They work at the World Trade Center, but during the attack, they were not in their office; they were at her apartment, not working. Ben sees this as a new opportunity to start over with a clean slate. 

LaBute’s multilayered writing has 9/11 at the surface, but truly, like director Jenn Peters points out in the Director’s note. This is about September 12 and the aftermath. About gender roles, power, selfishness, and morality. Ben is amoral and has dragged Abby down with the mirage of a life together when they should not have started in the first place. The 90-minute, no-intermission, straightforward work is also sexually charged, and the people in my row (the last row in the theatre) were vocal about it. The gasps, the laughs, and the talking back truly added to the experience. 

The play feels very 2002 in its treatment of gender roles and betrayal. Although the introspection lands in 2026. There is a point where Abby reclaims her power, but at a high cost. The wordy dialogue becomes a tad circular, giving the feeling that it could have been resolved in less than 90 minutes, but Peters’s trace-and-frame, with Abby mostly moving around the space while Ben is anchored center stage, gives it fluidity. 

It would not be an Onstage play without a great set design, and Patrick Mason does it again with a brick-detailed loft featuring a real fur throw, leather chairs, and artwork to match. Very corporate, very Manhattan. 

I remember around 2010ish, there was a Mexican soap opera where a woman in her 40s, based in Mexico City and NYC, was trapped in the towers during 9/11, being one of the survivors found days later under the debris. In true Mexican soap opera fashion, she has amnesia, never remembers her family back in Mexico, and was pregnant. She builds a new life in Manhattan. 

Ben in the Mercy Seat would have longed for amnesia. His fake plans want to go full throttle, but Abby decides to set him in reality, in his reality, with a check we all wanted at that point, having them both face the consequences of their actions.

The Stage Manager for this production is Rhae Ferrer.

Currently playing until March 29. 

Showtimes are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 PM; Sundays at 5 PM.