Wallace Shawn and Deborah Eisenberg Went On in What We Did Before Our Moth Days, With Just 3 Hours Notice

Last night, playwright, actor, and essayist Wallace Shawn shuffled onto the stage of the Greenwich House Theatre, script in hand, to apologize to his waiting audience. The performance of What We Did Before Our Moth Days we were about to see was not the version he and director Andre Gregory had spent "years" rehearsing. No, this version, a version that would only exist April 1 and 2, had been announced a few hours before, with Shawn and his partner, six-time O. Henry Award winner Deborah Eisenberg, stepping into the roles typically played by Hope Davis and Maria Dizzia. One of the actors had fallen ill earlier in the day, Shawn relayed, the other that afternoon. 

Shawn, somewhat bashfully, assured the audience that we were in good hands, noting he and Eisenberg were "the most qualified people in New York City" to take over for Davis and Dizzia that evening. Though, while Eisenberg is a woman performing a female role (Josh Hamilton's wife), Shawn cautioned this would evening be an exercise in acting for himself. He would be performing Elaine, Hamilton's mistress. Cue resounding, welcoming applause. 

READ: Can Theatre Change People's Minds? To Wallace Shawn, That's Not Inconceivable

Endearingly, Shawn told his audience he was going to leave the stage so we all could consider whether we wanted to stay or return when Davis and Dizzia are in full health. "I won't look," he said. "And I won't remember where you were sitting, anyway." 

As Shawn left the stage (looking straight ahead, keeping his promise), this writer turned to look around, curious as to who would miss more than three hours (yes, that is the show's runtime and, yes, there are two intermissions) of Shawn's charm, his genius (I can say Shawn is a genius. We publish opinion pieces now!). There was the collective classroom feeling when the teacher leaves the room during the quiz. Who was going to shift in their chair, peek at the person next to them? Two younger audience members (likely students at Split River High...) exited gracefully. 

"Deborah, in rehearsal today, was transcendent," the person next to me whispered as if they feared I was weighing my options. 

"Oh, I came for this," I whispered. I revealed to my row mate (who I learned is a member of the production team) that I was a member of the press, had seen Moth Days before (in previews), The Fever this past Sunday, and was returning to Moth Days with my husband on Friday (when Davis and Dizzia are set to return).

"So you're locked in," they chuckled. 

"Yes," I said as the house lights dimmed (they do not fully go out until the third act) and Josh Hamilton, John Early, Shawn, and Eisenberg (also book in hand) walked onto the stage. 

And for the next three hours, I was. 

When they took the stage, how did Shawn and Eisenberg do? While this is not an official review, this writer co-signs their qualifications to play the part(s). The laughs (especially when Shawn’s Elaine is described as “sexy”) had even the poised Eisenberg hiding her mouth behind her handkerchief. The moments of poignancy (such as when English teacher Elle speaks of all the books she longs to read) were given new wings. And when the company took their bows, Shawn and Eisenberg’s expressions of relief, pride, and (did this writer detect) tears of joy seemed to fill the black box theatre with warm and blinding light.

What We Did Before Our Moth Days has been extended until May 24. The new play is performing in rep with a revival of Shawn's one-person monologue The Fever (also until May 24).