Tops or Bottoms and Persistence of Vision
In the longer one-act that kicks off the evening, Tops or Bottoms, one gets the sense that the actors are working overtime–albeit with undeniable charm and empathy–to sell some of the hoarier passages. Scott Jaeck and Judy Blue play Jack and Robin, empty nesters in their late 40s awaiting the results of a pregnancy test from Robin’s doctor. Why she doesn’t use a home pregnancy kit or why her doctor couldn’t give her the results while she was still in the office is never adequately explained, which makes the entire scenario more than a tad artificial and distancing from the start.
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“I think you have a deep, well-founded sadness,” Golemo’s doctor tells Roth’s editor. “I don’t think we have a treatment for that.” The piece’s underlying themes of loss and uncertainty mesh nicely with those in the first play–both feature characters wrestling with dilemmas they never imagined they would face at their ages–giving the evening a satisfying emotional arc.
