Impressionism, by Michael Jacobs, a romantic comedy now on Broadway, has an all-star cast in an interesting but odd and somewhat confusing play.
In this exploration of Art, coffee and broken relationships, the entire cast is excellent, and both Jeremy Irons as a photographer and Joan Allen as an art gallery owner are totally engaging, and Andre De Shields is magnetic. His old man interpreting a painting is a gem and should get him a Tony nomination.
The confusion is in the flashbacks where Irons and Allen play Allen's parents, and the little girl with them is not defined as the young Allen. It seemed at that moment that the young girl was the child of Iron's and Allen's characters, which was puzzling.
There is another flashback scene in which Irons, with a Southern accent, plays a former almost-lover of Allen's. It would have clarified things if this part had been played by one of the other men in the cast. Marsha Mason does a turn as an Art buyer, and she's terrific, and Irons and Allen are exciting when they cross verbal swords. The play's power is in the art works themselves, which are brilliantly displayed throughout by designer Scott Pask with projection design by Elaine J. McCarthy. Catherine Zuber's costumes and Natasha Katz's lighting design help lift the production itself, directed by Jack O'Brien.Impressionism, which could use a bit of tightening and clarification, is a still a show worth seeing.
