‘Walk In The Woods’ treads familiar ground

Once again revisiting the 20th century’s greatest hits, No Strings Theatre Company breathes life into Lee Blessing’s Tony- and Pulitzer-nominated Cold War drama, “A Walk In The Woods.” Now playing at the Black Box Theatre downtown, the context of this political anti-thriller is the fictionalized account of a real-life series of unofficial meetings between two nuclear arms negotiators at the height of the Reagan-Gorbachev era. It’s very heady stuff.

The good news is, despite a startling wig and an outfit that is still burned on my retinas, this production is splendidly acted. This is in part due to Blessing’s excellent writing, but more importantly for us, because Edward Montes and Karen Buerdsell hit every mark with commendable skill. The playful light and color shifts against a rudimentary Mondrian-esque backdrop also help immensely.

As Andrey Lvovich Botvinnik, the Russian diplomat, Montes masters the accent and delivers it with a reassuring ease, in his portrayal of a jovial man jaded by his years as a government stooge, but eager to experience the small beauties that life has to offer. Buerdsell, as the idealistic American negotiator Joan Honeyman, gives a restrained and thoughtful performance that allows for her icy exterior to melt ever-so-slightly under the warm amiability of Botvinnik’s charm. Together, their chemistry is lively and provocative, laced with humor and genuine affection.

Now, let’s talk about the play itself. Does it still resonate? Yes and no. It does because, sadly, on the surface nothing has really changed in the last three and a half decades, and we are still living under the threat of nuclear annihilation. On the other hand, the dynamics of the situation, beneath the surface, have changed considerably since 1988.

Today every major power has nukes, and many of the smaller and more volatile countries are cranking up their arsenals. Looking back at a time when two opposing superpowers played a complicit game of chicken that kept the world on tenterhooks, it almost seems quaint in its simplicity – like a James Bond movie with all the sexiness and wanton destruction of property removed.

There is plenty of food for thought in this nuanced and witty two-hour walk through history, but is it enough to coax the much-needed younger crowd out of their insulated barrage of curated news bytes supplied by smart phones and TikTok? As opening night’s small but receptive older crowd demonstrates, this is doubtful. The ongoing game of one-upmanship between bureaucrats and despots isn’t surprising, much less shocking. For today’s future viewer, eh – it’s so last century.

I think what I’m trying to say is, history shows us that in times of adverse stress on a global scale, what audiences want most is to be entertained. They want to be taken away from the screaming media and the frequently modified opinions that pass for news. They want escapism, not grim reality. Maybe this should be a criterion when it comes to picking future productions. Especially when an audience is what is most needed.

“A Walk In The Woods” continues its run at the Black Box Theatre, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through June 30. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit No-Strings.org.