The Caretaker Reviewed By David A. Rosenberg Theater: American Airlines Theatre Location: 227 W. 42 St., NYC Starts: November 09, 2003 Ends: January 04, 2004 Presented by: Roundabout Theatre Company Two brothers share a dilapidated house to which one sibling invites Davies, a disheveled yet strangely fastidious old man. There ensues a battle of wills, a one-upmanship game of dominance among the old codger, the passive but kindly Aston, and the violent, hostile Mick. That's the surface of Harold Pinter's 1960 "The Caretaker," a piece that throws an absurdist light on its very real situation to become a drama of menace and danger. In this Roundabout Theatre production, the menace is muted, resulting in an evening more tedious and cold than tense and boiling. Emphasizing the play's humanity and humor, director David Jones slights its ambiguities. This is a rich work about, among other things, loss of identity, the breaking (literally) of idols, truth, conspiracy, secrets, dreams, loneliness, fathers and sons, power, sterility, and lack of communication. It's also filled with malevolence. Davies is a threatening, opportunistic figure, a go-between who seals his own fate by trying to play one brother against the other. Here, Patrick Stewart is an irascible man seeking shelter. It's a detailed performance, but one that comforts, not challenges. Kyle MacLachlan is the slow-witted, slow-moving Aston, roused to action when denied the simple pleasure of sleeping well. He handles the lengthy monologue on his receiving shock treatment with clarity and intelligence, but he misses the character's hulking helplessness. It's Aidan Gillen as Mick who finds the essence of Pinter. Shocking, frightening, he's a coiled snake who can strike suddenly and swiftly. The disconnect between what he says and what he means is huge and, even though the play may not be overtly symbolic, Gillen imbues the evening with suggestions of a universal malaise. John Lee Beatty's oppressive, junk-filled room, Peter Kaczorowski's cryptic lighting, Jane Greenwood's grungy costumes, and Scott Lehrer's sound design fill in the gaps of a disappointing evening. Click here to read the article in its original location. [Link may or may not be operating]