Review: Nina Arianda Gripping, Sam Rockwell Cool In Sam Shepard's FOOL FOR LOVE

When the curtain comes up on director Daniel Aukin's tense and darkly humorous production of Sam Shepard's gothic western, Fool for Love, Nina Arianda's May is sitting at the foot of her bed, perfectly still with her feet on the floor, body bent at the waist and hair hiding from the audience any expression that may be on her face.

She remains that way for quite some time as Sam Rockwell's cocky, clueless Eddie badgers her into acknowledging his presence, perfectly still like a weary fighter who's reluctant to once again enter an unwinnable battle.

But when Eddie suggests he's about to leave, she responds with a sudden reaction, her face still hidden by her hair, that tells us at least part of her battle is against herself.

FOOL FOR LOVE was probably considered a lot sexier when it premiered in 1983. Not that the two stars don't positively steam up the joint, but in 2015 the kind of passive-aggressive abuse and self-destructive behavior dramatized by Shepard is more in the forefront of social consciousness. What was once a theatrical dime store romantic tragedy is more unsettling today, and Arianda's emotionally conflicted May is a gut-clutching character study representing the experiences of many more women.

The 75-minute drama is set in designer Dane Laffrey's perfectly awful motel room somewhere on the edge of the Mojave Desert. May is determined to make a new life for herself, away from her ex, Eddie, but he shows up saying he's driven 2,480 miles to bring her back to what he promises to be a happy life in his Wyoming trailer. We get the impression this is a scenario that has been played out before.

May is expecting a date to arrive (genial Tom Pelphrey) and says she wants Eddie out, despite being obviously drawn to him. Eddie seems laid back and is good at offering a sincere facade, but while their sparks grow passionate, he reacts violently at May's resistance. Rockwell's lanky cool is most threatening when he casually starts cleaning his gun and practices roping things with his lasso.

Shepard gradually trickles out information about their past, including contributions from a mysterious old geezer sitting in the corner (gritty Gordon Joseph Weiss).

If Eddie has any regard for May aside from being a possession, it doesn't show in Rockwell's performance. The production is more about Eddie's controlling behavior and May's inability to free her heart from him despite what her common sense tells her. Arianda makes a gripping tragedy out of her character's struggle.

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