IF THERE IS I HAVEN'T FOUND IT YET 
                                                       at the Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre

(Seen September 27, 2012)

Who would have thought that global warming could destroy a marriage and make a family dysfunctional?  British playwright Nick Payne has written an obtuse play where water is a major player.

Rain and a moat separate the audience from the players   --- who wind up in water up to their ankles, with their furniture specifically thrown in a heap upstage.  But the four characters --- a couple, their daughter, and the husband's younger brother  --- drown in metaphors before the water can do more damage.

Jake Gyllenhaal has chosen this play to make his New York stage debut, and is properly off-beat as the brother/uncle in this troubled family.  Brian O'Byrne is passionate as the husband who totally neglects his family in the pursuit of his search regarding global warming.  Michelle Gomez and Annie Funke are the long-suffering wife and daughter, and acquit themselves admirably.

Director Michael Longhurst has not brought any clarity nor depth to the muddled antics of his cast.  The superficiality of the dialogue isn't overcome by strong performances.