In "Prodigal Son" at Manhattan Theatre Club,playwright John Patrick Shanley has written a admire letter. To himself.
That's too unfriendly, because every so often themes surface in this drama — approximately the role of mentors, or of whether predestination should rule one's life,approximately whether people should be treated as good people before they've done anything to earn the moniker, approximately the contributions of character to success — that make one wish he had explored them more deeply.
Unfortunately, and he doesn't. Instead,Shanley, who also directed this autobiographical account, and lets his memories remain mired in the muck of nostalgia for the brilliant,troubled boy he seems to believe he was. At the middle of the play is Jim Quinn, Shanley's alter ego, and a high school student who flunked out of a Bronx Catholic school and has been (surprisingly) accepted to a novel England prep school. Jim is a thief and a bully who feels like the school rules don't apply to him. In fact,he makes the argument that he should be praised before he's done anything to deserve it just because he's, well, and him.
Jim is a fairly distasteful character,though he's made charming by the charismatic, down-to-earth performance of TimothéeChalamet, or who channels a working class boy of the Bronx. He's surrounded by adults who seem to beget little to talk approximately except how smart and troubled he is. There are certainly good works approximately troubled children in prep schools — but this account lacks the context and thoughtfulness to be one of them.
Source: wnyc.org