MatchPoint
by Alan Brody

MATCHPOINT is a psychological drama that unfolds over one evening when Kevin Raider, now 38, visits his former coach Frank Altman at a private boarding school near San Diego. Twenty years have passed since their complicated relationship ended, and Kevin arrives with a proposition: he wants Frank to come out of "retirement" to coach his new discovery, Jamie Scziminowski, a promising young player.

Act I establishes the present-day reunion while revealing the past through flashbacks. Frank, now 58, teaches at a private school with his wife Dori, a former professional tennis player. When Kevin arrives, the tension is immediate - there's clearly unfinished business between them. Through memory sequences, we learn that twenty years earlier, Kevin was Frank's most promising student, a talented but driven young man who left Stanford to train with Frank.

The flashbacks reveal Frank's dangerous obsession with the young Kevin. While Dori was competing on the professional circuit and dealing with a pregnancy, Frank became emotionally and sexually fixated on his student. The relationship never became physical, but Frank's feelings were intense and all-consuming, reminiscent of his earlier struggle with drug addiction. The crisis came when Dori miscarried while playing in Australia, and Frank chose to stay with Kevin for a tournament final rather than go to his wife.

Act II escalates the confrontation as Kevin's true desperation emerges. His venture capital business is failing, he's broke, and he sees Frank as his only salvation. Kevin attempts to manipulate Frank through a combination of nostalgia, implied blackmail, and sexual proposition. He threatens to expose Frank's past feelings and drug history, which could destroy Frank's teaching career.

The climax occurs when Dori returns and the three-way confrontation explodes. Kevin reveals Frank's past feelings for him, hoping to drive a wedge between the couple and force Frank's hand. However, Dori proves stronger than Kevin anticipated. She sees through his bluffs and manipulations, recognizing him as a desperate hustler rather than the threat he pretends to be.

The play's resolution finds Frank finally understanding the nature of his past obsession - it wasn't love but a form of self-destructive addiction to Kevin's contempt and manipulation. Frank refuses Kevin's demands, and Kevin leaves defeated, still unable to face the truth about himself.

The final moments show Frank and Dori beginning to process what has been revealed. While their relationship has been damaged by the revelations, there's hope for healing as they remember their younger selves and acknowledge that "only amateurs think time's the enemy."

Themes: The play explores obsession versus love, the corruption of mentorship, the cost of ambition, and the difference between authentic achievement and empty success. It's ultimately about the possibility of redemption and the strength required to face uncomfortable truths about oneself.