By David Kiley and Jennifer Kahn

FERNDALE, MI–The Inheritance, wrapping up its run at The Ringwald here this past weekend, is an important, compelling play and story. And The Ringwald has perfectly cast and directed the production that is told in two parts (You’d have had to go to the theatre twice or booked two separate performances in one day).

The play, by Matthew Lopez, inspired by E.M. Forster’s Howard’s End, breathes new life into the story while staying true to its essence. With the compelling narrative, stellar performances, and thought-provoking themes, The Inheritance has been one of the absolute must-see productions of the season.

The play was originally commissioned by Hartford Stage in Hartford, Connecticut. The play was produced in London at the Young Vic Theatre in March 2018. It was staged in two parts of over three hours each, intended to be viewed sequentially.

Lopez has said in interviews that he found parallels between his own life and Forster’s closeted existence before the partial-decriminalization of homosexuality.  “We’re so far apart, and yet when I read his diaries—that’s me. That’s me, a hundred years ago, as a closeted white man in England, “ Lopez told The New Yorker. The playwright has described that the greatest theatrical influence, despite comparisons with Tony Kushner‘s Angels in America as being Gatz, Elevator Repair Service‘s 2-part, 8-hour adaptation of The Great Gatsby, inspiring his use of “self-narration.”

In Part One, stolid activist Eric Glass (Brandy Jo Plambeck) and his flamboyant playwright boyfriend Toby Darling (Richard Payton) are at the center of the story. Darling has written a play that is well reviewed and deemed a success as it heads to Broadway, but more on the strength of the acting of the young, attractive actor that’s been cast, billed as Young Man 1, whom we come to know as Adam, and played by Stebart Davenport, rather than on Darling’s writing.

Both Payton and Plambeck, who have worked together in numerous productions, indeed, have perfect chemistry as a couple going through ups, downs and sideways relationship cul de sacs of love, jealousy, resentment—the whole spectrum that loves and lovers endure.

But it is Davenport who is the character around which Toby and Eric revolve as he embodies first the young man who enters their lives, and then a hustler on the decline, who happen to look nearly identical. At the end of Act 1, Davenport is excruciatingly marvelous as he delivers an explicit, painful monologue about his first trip to a gay bathhouse in Prague. It both underlines Part 1, while deftly setting a mood for Part 2.

Jay Kaplan plays Walter on Part 1, the older, lovely, nurturing gay soul who lives in the same building as Toby and Eric. He lives with partner Henry, a traveling billionaire played with mature elegance by Dan Morrison.

One of the real strengths of Lopez’s story is the connections and bonds forged among rich and poor, right and left, the poets and the quants. It is this way, or can be, among gay men who often have important relationships across the economic and education spectrums.

After a disastrous and painful breakup with Toby, Part Two begins with Eric in a relationship with Henry–to the dismay of Eric’s friends. There is a difference in ideals between the younger friends and Henry and his capitalistic, right-wing thinking. In defending his ideals, Henry reminds the friends the struggle they are experiencing now is nothing compared to the struggle Henry’s generation faced in their youth.  Eric proudly tells his friends Henry has proposed marriage and asks for their support in his happiness, which doesn’t happen. This doesn’t stop Eric- he thinks he’s found his true happiness and tells Henry he accepts his proposal, only to discover from Henry it will be a sexless marriage.

Meanwhile, Toby is forging a destructive path.  A chance encounter outside a bookstore leads him into a relationship with a sex worker he previously had a one night stand with–the one who conveniently bears a striking resemblance to his previous infatuation, Adam.  Adam is starring in the Broadway debut of Toby’s play. The professional relationship with Adam and Toby is contentious, thus leading to Toby being barred from his own production. A failed attempt at reconciliation with Eric leads Toby further into a downward spiral of alcohol and drugs.

Toby’s descent into self-destruction isn’t without its share of external victims. We saw what Toby did to Eric in Part 1. Part 2’s prominent victim is Leo.  A scene is played out between Leo and Toby that is very reminiscent of the story Adam told Toby of his experience in the Prague bathhouse. In both instances, we see Toby’s excitement and desire is fueled by someone else’s pain. We are led to believe that Toby causing pain to others is what helps him avoid his own.

When Leo isn’t occupied serving as Toby’s (and most vacationers on Fire Island’s) plaything, he spends his time reading. After reading and discussing Toby’s book/play with Toby, Leo discovers he is a substitute for Adam. Leo wants to leave Toby, but Toby begs him to stay. Sadly, this is what Leo thinks love must be like.

It’s now opening night of Toby’s play on Broadway.  Toby realizes he’s created something good, with the reviews to back it up, but he also knows that what’s portrayed is not his truth; Toby is being celebrated for a lie. His shame overtakes him. He (and Leo) leave the theatre before the show concludes.

We then witness Eric and Henry’s wedding day at Henry’s Hampton’s beach house. Eric is wearing a custom-made suit gifted to him by Henry. The suit empowers Eric to feel on the inside what he is displaying on the outside- a first. Toby and Leo (Leo, hesitantly) crash the wedding, both of them high and drunk. Toby, in a desperate attempt to have a shred of authenticity in his life, admits to Eric he’s been lying about his whole life and begs Eric not to turn his own life into a lie by marrying Henry. Disruption ensues, garnering Henry’s attention. As Henry confronts Toby, Leo spots Henry. Henry is enraged by Leo’s presence and storms off.  Eric lashes out at Toby, telling him every truth about his life and finally Toby can no longer run–he can only confront what he’s been running from for so long.  It’s a true chaos of feelings, relationships, jealousies, resentments all mashing up in Fire Island.

Toby disappears. He reemerges in a hotel room in the town where he grew up in Alabama. He is compelled to tell his true story. He is confronted by the demons and memories of his past. Over a period of months, Toby writes his truth. He heads back to New York and shares his masterpiece with his agent, only to be met with rejection.

Eric moves to Walter’s farmhouse in upstate NY, taking a still-healing Leo with him. They meet the farmhouse’s caretaker, Margaret (Linda Rabin Hammel). Margaret is an old soul with a powerful connection to the property. Her story provides a meaningful history of the last four decades, as well as a reminder to the lack of understanding and support for the gay community.

Toby, seeking help, visits Eric at the farmhouse. Toby and a healing, yet emotionally shaken, Leo are reunited. The events at the farmhouse also solidify the end of Eric and Henry’s marriage. Henry continues to spend his life running from fear; Eric commits to live a life of truth and purpose.

Forster fans will pull muscles at times trying to find exact parallels between The Inheritance and Howard’s End. It is rightly billed as “Inspired” by the long-ago written story. One wonders if Lopez chose this track as a way of putting the play on the map faster than had he written the story with his own characters. But the same can be said for playwrights who seek to update Shakespearean plays by using names that track with the originals.

The set, designed by Asia Hicks, is simple but flexible as it has to serve as the setting for numerous locations in the six-hour story. The outline of a house, a home, is always present underlining not only the cottage that is a center-thread in the story, but also the reality that gay people want the rest of us want–home and family. The use of simple set pieces that moved around to quickly form different spaces was well thought out, with a particularly striking moment in Act 2 when an actor was rolled around on one.

As fine as the acting is throughout — especially from Plambeck, Payton, Davenport and Morrison, supported by a very steady, solid and at times bright ensemble of actors playing multiple roles, and how well directed it is by Joe Bailey, the triumph is in bringing this play to wider audiences in the first place. While certainly epic in scope, it perhaps falls a little short of the epic quality of Angels in America. It may be unfair to compare the two plays, though, simply because they deal with common material and are both crazy long with two parts. It is pretty clear that Lopez was influenced by Angels as well as Howard’s End and Forster’s own life.

The Ringwald did this story proud.

Because of schedule issues and shortage of reviewers of late, EncoreMichigan was not able to fully review both parts of this play until closing weekend. We regret that, and wish we had been able to see both parts as early in the run as possible.