TWO ROOMS
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Playwright Lee Blessing criticizes the detached high-mindedness typical of Americans in Two Rooms, an engaging drama about a hostage situation. Each of Blessing’s four characters represents a different point of view. Michael is an American being held hostage in Lebanon, and he’s just trying to survive, holding onto his humanity day by day. His wife, Lainie, is another victim who refuses to give in to discouragement. She fights two battles: the need to keep hope alive despite the anguish of separation, and the political business of getting her husband back. The two available methods of obtaining Michael’s freedom are represented by Ellen, a State Department official, and Walker, a newspaper journalist. The State Department tells Lainie to keep a low profile, given the delicate situation, and to trust the government experts. Walker proposes speaking out and allowing public sentiment to goose the government into action.
Through these characters Blessing explores both the policies and the emotions involved in an ongoing predicament. The playwright does have a bias toward action, but he is remarkably evenhanded in pointing out the logic and motivations on both sides. As Blessing says, “There is no right answer. Or no easy answer. Or no noncomplex answer.”
Christine Adaire seems to have looked to her costume rather than the script for her character. Adaire’s Ellen is a buffoon, full of overblown quirks and silly pretensions. Adaire comes off more like an Avon lady than a devoted bureaucrat.
