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Boston Globe

In Lyric Stage's ‘The Great Reveal,' a cake whose main ingredient is identity

There are no villains in 'The Great Reveal,' just well-intentioned but sometimes tone-deaf people moving haltingly toward some kind of understanding. Valdes is insightful in delineating the ways that unexamined assumptions can cause unintended pain. The play could scarcely be more timely, given how much the gender-identity debate is currently roiling the world of women's sports, not to mention the ominous choices emanating from Washington when it comes to the rights of trans people. Advertisement The word 'Reveal' in the title of Valdes's play is meant to, and does, resonate on more than one level. But Valdes waits too long to let the sparks fly. There's more drift than there should be in a one-act play. The central tension remains on simmer when it needs to be brought to a boil, resulting in a certain shapelessness. 'The Great Reveal' takes place at a gender-reveal party hosted by newlyweds Lexi (Paige Clark), who is seven months pregnant, and her husband, Christopher (Arthur Gomez), on the back deck of their house, which is bedecked with blue and pink balloons. (The scenic design is by Baron E. Pugh.) Antonia Turilli and Jupiter Lê. Mark S. Howard Their guests are Lexi's brother, Linus ( Advertisement Lexi had asked Dosia to bake a cake for the party, and Dosia complied – but the frosting on her finished creation sends a message about her view of the gender-reveal party. The mother-to-be has no difficulty deciphering that message, and is none too happy about it. Dosia and Linus don't see gender as being a cut-and-dried matter, as Lexi appears to. (In a program note, codirector Snow describes gender-reveal parties as 'a trend which chops up gender-identity to the birth-assigned pink and blue binary.') 'The Great Reveal' is not the first time a cake has loomed large, symbolically speaking, in a production at Lyric Stage. Five years ago, Fairly early in the play, 'The Great Reveal' is damaged by what's known in sports as an unforced error. Even granting that Christopher is anxious about whether he's up to the challenges of fatherhood ('What if I don't get any of it right?' he asks plaintively), the playwright's decision to have Christopher get high turns out to be very ill-advised. Gomez has chosen – or has been directed to – deliver an overly broad performance, often bellowing his lines. It knocks the play off-balance. Advertisement Lê's portrayal of Linus has the opposite problem: He's too muted. With Clark, the energy level is never a concern, and she brings her customary avidity and ebullience to her portrayal of Lexi. Turilli, described in the program as a recent graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, delivers an impressively poised performance. Coming across as a performer who understands the power of stillness, Turilli finds the nuance in a character who seems coolly detached but ultimately proves to be anything but. THE GREAT REVEAL Play by David Valdes. Directed by Bridget Kathleen O'Leary and Charlotte Snow. Presented by Lyric Stage Company of Boston. Through April 27. Tickets $25-$75. 617-585-5678, Don Aucoin can be reached at