Playwright Matthew Freeman, with thirteen years of experience as a fundraiser for the ACLU, considers the comically tense socio-political dynamics of soliciting and contributing charitable donations in the new two-hander The Ask, presented by Theatre Accident in association with The Flying Carpet Theatre Company for a limited engagement at NYC’s wild project. Starring Betsy Aidem as the wealthy older donor Greta and Colleen Litchfield the younger up-and-coming fundraiser Tanner, the pair engages in a face-off in the affluent woman’s Upper West Side apartment in December 2022, in which the perspectives of their two generations collide.
Greta, a widowed photographer in her 70s, is visited by the non-binary 20-something Tanner, who, with a degree in theater, replaced her previous donor contact Carol during recent (fictional) budget cuts and layoffs at the ACLU. The meeting is designed for them to get to know each other personally, to get Greta’s feedback, and, more significantly, to solicit a large donation now and in her will, after she withheld her usual funding the previous year due to her anger and dissatisfaction with the organization’s new initiatives.
Under the engaging fast-paced direction of Jessi D. Hill, Aidem and Litchfield turn in thoroughly convincing and committed portrayals of the two “people” (or should we say “women”?), delivering their antithetical personalities and conflicting beliefs, Greta’s relentlessly insistent attitude versus Tanner’s more propitiatory approach, with sharp humor and intelligent observations, initial awkwardness and increasing friction, all clearly registered in their voices, demeanors, and facial expressions. Freeman’s writing conveys a well-balanced and thoughtful understanding of each side and the changes that inevitably come with the emergence of a new generation and a shifting concern over the most recent developments in our country and our identities (reinforced by a running joke about a dinosaur), as well as the reasons a longtime supporter would find the current direction and overarching political correctness troubling.
The conversation covers everything from their different eating and drinking habits to the Trump presidency, the Supreme Court, the pervasive Zoom meetings during the height of the pandemic, the movement to cancel student debt because of perceived “racial imbalance,” and the central disputation over the ACLU’s lessening focus on Freedom of Speech and the Constitution (which has been demeaned “a white supremacist document”), the reversal of Roe, and the rampant marginalization of women that has even impacted our language. Through it all, Aidem moves actively around the stage and into an unseen back room, talking as emphatically on the phone as she does to Tanner, while Litchfield remains mostly seated and composed, with a momentary breakdown of crying while alone in the study, but generally trying to be conciliatory and understanding of Greta (if only to get her hefty donation).
The stellar acting, writing, and direction are supported by costumes by Nicole Wee that define the characters and generational divide, as does Craig Napoliello’s set, stacked with Greta’s books and filled with her framed photos (as possessions of a member of the older generation, they’re still physical, not just digital), enhanced with lighting by Daisy Long and clear sound by Cody Hom.
Will Greta continue to fund the organization through the solicitations of Tanner, and if so, at what cost to get what they all need? It’s an intriguing question in a fully entertaining, provocative, and timely play.
Running Time: Approximately 70 minutes, without intermission.
The Ask plays through Saturday, September 28, at the wild project, 195 East Third Street, NYC, For tickets (priced at $58.59, including fees), go online. Please note that the performance on September 22, 7:30 pm, requires that everyone wear a mask in the lobby and in the theater during the show.
