An Historic Moment Captured Through a Surreal Lens

Catherine Gropper Crafts a Gripping and Innovative Look at Events Leading up to the 2016 Election

The Meeting: The Interpreter is a Tour De Force of modern theater—what at first seems like a traditional two-hander becomes something far more unique and spectacular. It is centered around a notorious meeting at Trump Tower in 2016 that may have been the smoking gun in alleged collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia, and the Congressional Hearings that followed. A large screen completely covers the stage as actors Frank Wood (Tony winner, Side Man) and Kelly Curran (HBO’s “The Gilded Age”) take their places; they appear first as images, with the backdrop of a Senate hearing room to introduce themselves and the setting in a blisteringly fast round of dialogue. The screen projection then slowly moves to the audience’s right, revealing the actors and stage crew behind it. Two crew members operate the camera on a railroad track that winds around the stage, zooming in on the actor’s faces, hands, and unexplored aspects of the set that all play a part in the unfolding story.

Wood is the International Interpreter of the title, a Russian-born man who sees himself as an American; he is the key witness in the events of the day who just wants to live in peace and quiet. Curran is a journalist, the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya (believed to have had a dossier on alleged Clinton shenanigans), and many other pivotal players in the world-changing event. (Note: a quick review of the actual historical events prior to attending will greatly enrich any theatre-goers experience of the production. And be sure to study up on the Magnitsky Act of 2012.)

The set by Jim Findlay is like a third character in the production; it is full of surprises that the tracking camera slowly reveals—a sound booth in the back, an open locker filled with paraphernalia around a hidden corner. Puppets by Julian Crouch depict the players involved in the Trump Tower meeting (including the infamous Paul Manafort); their large, somewhat grotesque heads plopped on tiny naked bodies. There is interpretive dance (choreography by Orlando Pabotoy); many bizarre turns, such as Curran nailing her many neckties to a block of wood; there are even snippets of singing. It all paints a vivid and unforgettable look of a fateful moment in time that haunts our country and the world to this very day. 

Wood and Curran are astonishingly good in what is a very challenging production —switching characters, accents, and even wigs at a feverish pace—and using every device in the theatrical playbook to command the stage and tell the tale. Added power is provided by the lighting by Barbara Samuels and sound by Daniel Baker and Co., and it is all held together by the brilliant direction of Brian Mertes.

The Meeting: The Interpreter runs at the St. Clements’ Theater through August 25, 2024.