H.T.C. Takes on ‘Time Stands Still’
“Time Stands Still,” the Tony Award-nominated drama by Donald Margulies, will open today at the Quogue Community Hall as the second production of the Hampton Theatre Company’s 30th anniversary season. The play will run through Jan. 25.
In the play’s opening scene, Sarah and James return from a hospital in Germany to their Brooklyn loft. Sarah, a war photographer, is recovering from serious injuries sustained in Iraq, while James, a freelance journalist who suffered a breakdown in Iraq, tries to come to terms with having left the war zone before his partner was injured.
The play concentrates not on the war or politics but on the efforts of Sarah and James to move forward with their lives in more ordinary circumstances.The friction between them is exacerbated by a visit from Richard, a photo editor and former lover of Sarah’s, and his much younger girlfriend, Mandy, whose naiveté and ditziness contrast with Sarah’s sarcasm.
“Time Stands Still” opened in Los Angeles in 2009 and moved to Broadway in 2010, where it starred Laura Linney as Sarah, Brian d’Arcy James as James, Eric Bogosian as Richard, and Alicia Silverstone, subsequently replaced by Christina Ricci, as Mandy.
When asked why the company chose the play, Sarah Hunnewell, executive director of Hampton Theatre Company and director of this production, said, “It’s pretty simple: We liked it! It’s a very meaty play for the actors, director, and audience alike.”
“There are references to things associated with the war in Iraq, but it is not ‘an Iraq play,’ ” Mr. Margulies said in an interview in The Guardian. “War is the backdrop for what is essentially a domestic love story. . . . It is very much about the choices and compromises we all make — in love, in work, and, particular to this play, in war. Ethical struggles touch on all aspects of life.” Mr. Margulies won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2000 play “Dinner With Friends.”
“Time Stands Still” marks the Hampton Theatre Company debut for its four cast members — Sarah Goodwin (Sandy), John Carlin (James), John L. Payne (Richard), and Kate Kenney (Mandy) — all of whom have worked extensively in New York City and regional theater. Sean Marbury designed the sets, Sebastian Paczynski oversees the lighting, and Teresa Lebrun created the costumes.
“Time Stands Still” will play Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturday evenings at 8, and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for senior citizens (except Saturday), and $10 for students under 21. Tickets and information about available dinner and theater packages are available at hamptontheatre.org.