Review: Best of Enemies
By Erin Deborah Waks
What stood out in Best of Enemies was the perfect direction, speed and fluency of the performance. From slick changeovers to impressive use of lights, the show was choreographed to perfection. It kept the pace of the show up, especially when much of the content was harder to digest and more intellectually advanced. A good balance was struck between the dense content and the artful mastery of stagecraft.
Zachary Quinto's Gore Vidal was, frankly, disappointing. As a fan of the actor, I was excited to watch him live, but found his sarcastic drawl and ironic wit got boring after about five minutes. What began as a solid counterpoint to his fellow protagonist quickly became monotonous and repetitive. I would have liked to see more variation.
Meanwhile, David Harewood's right-wing figurehead William F. Buckley shone - his tone of voice and natural stage presence allow Harewood to hold the gravitas the role so needs. He played the role with elegance and charm, and his character emanated intelligence.
Political dramas like this certainly require a fair bit of contextual knowledge. My understanding of 1960s US politics is fairly limited, but fortunately my comprehension of the general to-and-fro of the field helped me follow the plot. I'd urge the less cultured theatre-goer to stick to the likes of musical theatre and less dense plays.
