Curse of the Starving Class

Tulis McCall
March 11, 2025
Openingnight.Reviews, realchristianslater, theFrontRowNYC, thenewgroupnyc

5/5 - (1 vote)

It’s a bit of a wackadoodle experience. What kept running through my head as I watched New Group‘s “Curse Of The Starving Class” at The Pershing Square Signature Center was: “This is a wackadoodle play.” For the record, I don’t say that often. Full disclosure – I am not very very very familiar with Sam Shepard’s work. Or I have forgotten what little I knew. I do remember seeing “True West” several times after it was filmed. I did see “A Lie of the Mind” back in the 1980s.

A Pattern of Unhappiness

The only thing that all these plays bring to mind is that nobody was happy. Nobody was happy, and they were taking pleasure in making certain that they did their best to curtail any jocularity that might cross the threshold. The only good news was bad news.

The Story: A Family in Decline

Curse of the Starving Class fits nicely into this pattern. A woebegone family living in rural California has begun their slide into oblivion. Here’s a quick preview:

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A Chaotic and Broken Household

As the show opens, we see nothing special on the very detailed set by Arnulfo Maldonado: the usual kitchen detritus of a blender, toaster, a table, and a cooking island that takes up too much space. When Wesley Tate (Cooper Hoffman) enters with a vacuum, dustpan, and brush, we notice that the clear sliding glass doors are clear because there is no glass in them. Ditto the windows above the kitchen sink. As Wes sweeps up the mess, his mother, Ella (a semi-catatonic Calista Flockhart), shuffles into the kitchen. The next few minutes are spent as Ella revs up to arguing speed.

The Dysfunctional Family Dynamics

And there is a lot to argue about, beginning with the perpetrator of the broken everything, patriarch Weston Tate (Christian Slater), whose whereabouts are unknown and about whom no one cares. May he rest in peace someplace other than home.

Neither Hoffman nor Flockhart seem to have a grip on the language or the situation at hand. It is not until Emma Tate (Stella Marcus) enters that we experience someone who, in horse parlance, is up to the bit – paying attention, engaged, and reacting. While this makes us perk up, there is not much more to hang on to. We are on a downward trajectory that will not be stopped.

A Desperate Attempt to Escape

The nut of the nut here is that both Ella and Weston have concluded that the only way out of this hole into which they have dug themselves is to sell the house, the land, and the livestock (including one very alive sheep, Lois).

Lois makes more than one appearance, steals every scene she is in, and can barely walk on the slippery linoleum. Not to mention she has to endure a lot of loud noise, including banging trash cans and plain old screaming. The Humane Society should pop by for a look-see.

No surprise that the Tate duo are not successful at the attempted sale because that is their lot in life and will be forevermore. Their children fare no better.

Final Thoughts: An Uncaring Audience

The part that matters here is that we (meaning me) ended up not caring about any of these people. No matter the monologues that they deliver in self-defense, these are verbal blips that don’t move the meter. Why this choice for a play is a mystery (several audience members stood up and cheered, so I am in the minority), and Scott Elliott’s direction seems casual at best.

Odd Moments in Staging

A couple of odd moments: Hoffman must deliver his monologue sitting at the edge of the stage. The audience is packed in so tight that he has to look over the heads of the people directly in front of him. He does his best, but it is an awkward moment. Ditto for him scrounging through the provisions in the refrigerator – this he does with his back to us.

The Standout Performance: Christian Slater

What does work is Christian Slater’s portrayal of a drunk Weston Tate. Most actors will tell you that in order to play drunk, one must play against it. Avoid being sloppy. Be precise. Slater’s work is pristine. I bet he scared the crap out of the cast when they first saw him perform. He did me. He also made me care about Weston Tate for a few moments. That’s something.