After watching a few seasons of Californication, I became a huge fan of David Duchovny and the show. You can only imagine how psyched I was to hear that we were going to watch an Off-Broadway play with Dave as the lead role. At the time, I couldn’t care less what this play was about. My mind was focused on actually seeing him in person after watching countless episodes on my computer screen. On that note, I will try to be as unbiased as I can in reviewing and critiquing The Break of Noon.

I’ve been to numerous Off-Broadway plays and many Broadway shows, and not one can even come close to competing with how quickly this one caught my attention. The sudden flashes of bright lights and loud sound jerked me forward every time. The opening monologue with John, David Duchovny, sitting in ripped and blood stained clothing created a sense of tension, which kept the audience interested and yearning to listen attentively.

There is character development from the first to last scene. Every scene we learn something new about John. I was extremely disappointed with the ending; because I felt the playwright was hinting the entire play that John created the notion of speaking to God. The levitation trick performed in the closing scene takes away from seriousness of the main conflict. I felt like that scene ruined the play.

The overall acting was top notch. Several scenes stand out when thinking of phenomenal acting. Tracee Chimo did an outstanding job as Gigi, the escort. She emotionally portrayed the character and applied herself to make the scene seem natural. Amanda Peet also played an exceptional role as Jesse. That scene would lose its uniqueness if it weren’t for her. The only negative critique I have is that sometimes I felt that the actors forced the lines, which ended up sounding like an unnatural and fake conversation. I’m not sure if that is the playwright’s fault for writing that script or the actor’s inability to grasp the act.

The Break of Noon is a must watch for anybody able to attend a viewing. It is not too often that an Off-Broadway theatre is able to have top-notch actors like David Duchovny and Amanda Peet perform together. I came in focused on Dave, and left the theatre pondering what actually happened. That’s what I call a successful play.