Bush looms over Wasserstein play

Nothing entertains like skillfully executed political satire, and Third is no exception. Written by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein, the play illustrates the clash between an ultraliberal distinguished professor and a conservative jock at a top 10 university.

Professor Laurie Jameson (Kerry Shear), a feminist and gay rights enthusiast, balances her life as teacher, mother, wife and daughter until she encounters athlete Woodson Bull III, who prefers to be called Third (Jake Bowden). Though he does nothing to provoke her ire, his presence challenges her preconceived notions toward conservatives.

Following their meeting, Jameson's treatment of Third steadily deteriorates in predictable fashion until finally she accuses the wrestler of plagiarizing a paper on King Lear. Despite his protests, she insists on bringing Third before a judicial committee.

While this subject theme dominates the play, Wasserstein deftly weaves other motifs around the central narrative to create a complete portrait of a woman who reaches her breaking point. While warring with Third, Jameson simultaneously deals with an endless stream of personal and family issues: her father's severe Alzheimer, her menopausal hot flashes, the impending death of her best friend, her husband's extreme inattentiveness and her daughter's rebellion.

Performed at Deep Dish Theater, the play features surprisingly adept and emotive acting, especially on Shear's part. Bowden is likewise capable, but at times lacks the depth of feeling his counterpart exhibits. Jameson's aged father, played by Bob Barr, appears to be a veteran of the stage, and Jocelyn Roux and Linda Belans turn in fine performances as Jameson's daughter and colleague, respectively.

Of the myriad motifs within the play, the most important is that of political identity. The play operates in the shadow of the 2003 invasion of Iraq; obsessed with Bush and privileged white males, Jameson centers all her frustrations on Third, who in her eyes represents a threat to her work as a respected female professor at a liberal arts college.

Though Third seems to show its age in the forerunning days to an Obama presidency, it is nonetheless relevant work for a still divided nation.

Third is performed at Deep Dish Theater, 201 S. Estes Dr., Chapel Hill, until Nov. 15.