THE INHERITANCE

By Diana Simmonds

November 11 2024

THE INHERITANCE, Part One & Part Two, Reginald Theatre at the Seymour Centre, 7-30 November 2024. Photography by Phil Erbacher

EM Forster’s Howard’s End (1910) opens with, “One may as well begin with Helen’s letters to her sister.” The great man himself, or someone like him, named Morgan (Simon Burke) and sweetly avuncular in a three-piece tweed suit, coaches a group of young men – undergrads perhaps – through the agonies of How-Do-I-Write-The-Great-Novel? by cajoling from them a variation: “One may as well begin with Toby’s voice-mails to his boyfriend.”

And so, with deceptive cheek, the audience is immediately drawn into Matthew López’s 2018 two-part, six-plus hours play “inspired by the novel.” That word is important: it’s inspired by, not adapted from, nor ripped off. The Inheritance is its own thing. That thing is lyrical, ambitious, loving, captivating, tender, funny, and heart-wrenching. Part tongue-in-cheek didactic, part history of AIDS through the eyes of three generations of gay New Yorkers, and part compelling saga of the kind we’re used to bingeing on Netflix – come the end, one wonders when series two will drop.

That’s the core of The Inheritance – no-nonsense, classic story-telling. It’s as if someone has whispered in the collective ear, “Once upon a time…” generating instant, elbows on knees, rapt absorption. The story strands are multiple and interwoven, beginning in 2015 with Eric (Teale Howie) a political activist who’s all in for Hillary and who lives in his parents’ shockingly spacious, rent-controlled, Upper West Side apartment. His partner of seven years is Toby (Ryan Panizza), a sharp-tongued, egotistical writer whose impending success with a bio-stage play is overshadowed by his awareness that it lacks truth and honesty.

Meanwhile, an older generation, for whom AIDS is neither mythical nor ancient history, is represented by Walter (Simon Burke again), a gentle, wise man with whom Eric forms a caring friendship. Walter’s partner of 36 years is Henry (John Adam), a billionaire property developer and, to the consternation of a friends gathering, a Republican and Trump donor. (Opening in Sydney in the week during which another fabulous female Democrat was bested by Trump added an unintended shock to that depicted on stage!)

As in Howard’s End, a house plays a significant role in the human story of The Inheritance. And while the title refers to the tragic legacy of AIDS, it’s also lodged in Walter’s upstate rural retreat as well as Henry’s property empire and luxe townhouse, and Eric’s much envied $576 a month palatial apartment. Woven through the real estate theme is its opposite: homelessness. The younger men learn of the evictions, rejections, and deprivation that so often stalked AIDS sufferers, while another main character, Leo (Tom Rodgers), is a young rent boy who will end up on the streets, but meanwhile, absorbs the dubious pleasures and humiliations of Fire Island weekenders. Just as a Hamptons mansion did the same for a young Toby.

The fragile thread of Leo’s existence is drawn through the main fabric of the plays because of his resemblance to Adam (Tom Rodgers), an actor who becomes a major star in Toby’s play when it’s a huge Broadway hit. Love – mostly unrequited – is another rich strand, vividly coloured and woven crossways into the narratives – where most characters are their own narrators and often confide in the audience. In the black box confines of the Reginald theatre, it’s a device that makes for touching intimacy and involvement. When not chortling and digging one another in the ribs at some recognised joke or snipe, the audience is often in tears – again in recognition, but also as revelations for younger generations.

Directed with a fabulous combination of energy and restraint by Shane Anthony, the company is exceptional in maintaining the momentum and clarity of its mammoth undertaking. The main players are really first among equals, with performances of tender and intelligent nuance from the principals as well as Tom Rodgers, Zoran Jevtic, Quinton Rofail Rich, Jack Richardson, Matthew McDonald, Elijah Williams, Jack Mitsch, and Bayley Prendergast, . And finally, a glorious cameo-monologue from Vanessa Downing. (The role earned Vanessa Redgrave a Best Supporting Actress Olivier.)

Set design by Kate Beere is an effective abstract of black-and-white platforms and back wall. Alex Berlage’s lighting gives it life and changes of place and time. Tim Chappel’s understated yet clever costumes place each character – from the 1970s to 2016 – and the minimal soundtrack by Damien Lane, sound design by Jessica Pizzinga, do the same.

The Inheritance is a rare and fabulous treat: intelligent, entertaining, meaningful and not to be missed (in one go if you can).