‘The Last Match’ Review: Court & Spark
metroweekly.comThe Last Match (★★★☆☆), it might not matter who wins or loses the titular duel between American champion Tim Porter (Drew Kopas) and Russian upstart Sergei Sergeyev (Ethan Miller).
In Alex Levy’s cleverly staged production at 1st Stage, however, the charmingly boastful Sergei clearly emerges as the more fully realized and engaging of the characters.Brilliantly embodying the young challenger’s drive, hunger, and athleticism, Miller also adeptly delivers Sergei’s trash-talking sense of humor, as the play unwinds its tale of the foes’ hard-fought match on-court, amid side glances to pivotal moments in their off-court lives.Yet, Miller rises above the script’s tendency to lean on Sergei as comic relief, and invests the guy with personality beyond his bad-boy insults, aggressive style of play, and mane of wild curls.
Some native Russian speaker may inform us that Miller is off on the accent, but he sounds enough the part, and pulls off moving and swinging a racquet like a fictional contender in a U.S.
Open semi-final showdown.He might look even more the part wearing gear that reflected Sergei’s relative stature on the pro tour.
Read more on metroweekly.com