Well, the current offering from Mustard Seed Theatre seems to begin with the concept of chronic illness and its effect on the family. It is, almost, a play-within-a-play-within-a-play. Don’t however, let those two descriptors put you off. Theatre is about storytelling, and often, indeed mostly, those stories are about stressful situations, whether the stress is good or bad.
Written by Lisa Kron, the playwright who gave us Fun Home, the lead is Kron herself, played by Katy Keating. She’s trying to put together what she insists is “a theatrical exploration” of her mother’s illness and her mother’s effect on her local community. Mom Ann, here Lori Adams, spends much of her time in a lounge chair, dozing and watching her daughter’s rehearsing of the theatrical exploration she’s staging, with the help of a pile of index cards. The opening monologue by Lisa points out, among other things, that no matter how much you achieve in therapy, when you go home into the family constellation, it all seems to go out the window, so we know we’re in for a bumpy ride.
Mom doesn’t quite get just what it is that Lisa is doing with the piece. Nevertheless, she watches the rehearsal from her half of the stage, seeing into the rehearsal space and into the audience as well, as Lisa shows how mom’s work as an inadvertent community activist when Lisa was young affected the neighborhood and, of course, her daughter.
Not surprisingly, her mother can’t keep from speaking up – Adams’ accent is slightly Marge Gundersonesque – and eventually she ends up surrounded by Lisa’s actors, Alicia Reve Like, Carl Overly, Jr., Bob Thibaut and Leslie Wobbe, all of whom play other characters as needed. They’re quick and funny, zipping through some costume changes with alacrity. Bess Moynihan did the set, and the Sullivans brought their talents: Jane Sullivan did the costumes, Michael Sullivan the lights (which are managed so as to remind the audience of how significant they are to a play), and sound from Zoe Sullivan. Deanna Jent directs Well well.
While the question of the effects of chronic illness is a serious one, this is not a grim show, although the question is almost peripheral to what we experience. There are some very funny lines here, for one thing. But it isn’t until the hospital scenes begin that we truly learn how much caricature is being used for illustrative purposes – and that’s quite legitimate, it just came as a surprise to someone who spent many, many years working in such places. A couple of twists make the audience even more surprised.
A fine 95 minutes of intellectual exercise, to be sure. No intermission.
Well
through March 17
Mustard Seed Theatre
6800 Wydown Blvd, Clayton (enter off Big Bend)
314-719-8060