THE KILLING
Center Theater Studio
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Big-city lawyer Marv Cohen arrives with lofty ideals when he’s called in to advise Suzette Wilson, the attorney for a midwestern Indian reservation, on initiating an on-site gambling casino. Soon afterward he meets the laconic chief, Joe Longa, and his teenage son, Bosco–badly brain-damaged as a result of water polluted by toxic waste mislabeled as fertilizer. These new acquaintances strengthen Cohen’s resolve to help the people he regards as his spiritual kin (“A Jew must be sensitive to the sufferings of oppressed people . . . we, too, have suffered extermination”). And though the self-styled savior is reluctant to admit it, he also hopes to vindicate himself after a recent scandal that could permanently cripple his career. But he grows suspicious (and maybe a bit jealous) when Wilson insists on bringing in someone else to negotiate outside financing–a small-time mafioso named Angelo Carpoli, likewise intent on establishing himself as a Good Guy. Carpoli’s proposal that a Japanese vice lord with international holdings be invited to invest launches Cohen on a one-man mission to rescue the naive Indians from their own folly–only to learn that he’s been a pawn in an elaborate personal vendetta masterminded by Native Americans quite capable of taking care of themselves.
The Killing is a small, hard gem of a play. Look for this one to receive substantial attention once the flurry of big-budget, high-hype shows is over.
