Trust

Paul Weitz’s S&M–themed dramedy at Second Stage Theatre asks us to project too much on actors who are either slightly miscast or struggling with cryptic roles. Zach Braff is a convincing nebbish, but we never truly see the controlling side that drives his depressed wife Aleeza (Ali Graynor) crazy; Sutton Foster is more convincing as a Manhattan dominatrix with a self-loathing boyfriend (Bobby Cannavale) who tries to blackmail Braff's character. There’s a potent 90-minute play in this muddled study of control, but Weitz loses the thread.—David Cote