What is the point of life? What is in our power? Do we control our own fates? These are the questions asked by the existentialist thinkers of the late 19th and the 20th century. And one of its greatest proponents was philosopher Jean Paul-Sartre, who expressed those ideas in film, in books, and in plays. He received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1964- he declined it. One of his most significant plays, “No Exit,” is now on the stage at Quintessence Theatre.
The play begins in a locked room with no windows. We soon learn that the three people (two women and a man) in the room have recently died. They think they are going to Hell. Ironically, this room does not feel like a hell or even a prison cell. It is a comfortably furnished room, but there is no exit. Where are they? At first, it seems heavenly… until we learn of what brought each to the room.
In fact, they are all guilty of a wrongdoing involving a sexual dalliance. One cheated on his wife. Another cheated on her husband. And the third person seduced her cousin’s wife. They made others miserable, driving some to suicide. But that is just the background for these people who have been thrown together. Each entered the room, expecting to be tortured, They soon discovered that just being there with others for what might be an eternity, was a kind of torture.
Inez is an openly gay woman who simply doesn’t like men. Estelle has lived a life based on her beauty but seems to avoid any permanent relationship. Garcin was a pacifist writer who is trying hide from the label of coward because he tried to flee to Mexico to avoid fighting in a war.
That is the backgrounds of the three. But what goes on in the room is another story- seduction. Estelle tries to seduce Garcin. Inez tries to seduce Estelle. Garcin seeks approval from Inez for his desertion while he also comes on to Estelle. In this “hell,” will anyone get what they want? And can they ever get out of there?
The play is full of questions. Unfortunately, I did not find it engaging. Though Alex Burns did a fine job with his new translation of the Sartre play, he did not succeed as well with his direction. Instead of bringing out the subtleties, the nuances of the situation, he has created characters that are over-the-top stereotypes. I got tired listening to Inez constantly shout her needs and demands. I was quickly bored with the cutesy girlishness of Estelle. Even Garcin, who did have a few moments of reflection, was like the others in their tv-like interpretation of the characters. As a result, the 90-minute play felt much longer. In a way, I was trapped in a theater with no exit.
“No Exit” by Jean-Paul Sartre at Quintessence Theatre, 7137 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119, 215-987-4450, quintessencetheatre.org Thru October 28, 2023
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 