BLAME
IT ON MOM – AND DAD THE SHOW: MOMS IN AMERICA, a new play, and an independent production, written, directed, designed and produced by J. Marcus Newman (the theaterartist formerly known as Nonnie Vishner) THE STORY: A little light in plot, the drama concerns a grandfather (Pop), father (Dad) and son (Son), three estranged generations of a Jewish American family, who come together in a purple apartment in Miami to dispose of the possessions of Pop's ex-wife (Dad's Mom, Son's grandma) and to bury her (or cremate her, an issue that takes up a lot of time, for no particular payoff). They are all survivors of a sort: of the Russian pogroms, of the sixties, of AIDS. Some have moved on better than others. Pop is still remembering how, even at the moment he and his mother were about to be pitchforked by the Cossacks in yet another pogrom, his mother was ready to kick him out (she did so several times in his youth, and this one last time, right before she was murdered). Dad keeps talking about his awful relationship with his mother, who also abandoned him. The Son's mother is just a little wacky and New Agey. But this play really isn't about Moms at all. It's about what it means to be a man, and a father and a responsible family member. Pop and Son take a little emotional journey and come out the other side with a tad of insight. But Dad is angry and cynical throughout, and at the end, he flees, as he's done so many times before. This is the least developed character, and needs more fleshing out and re-thinking. The piece needs more arc and focus overall. But there's some very strong dialogue and a potent moment of simultaneous reverie among the three. By the end, there are some revelations but no satisfying resolution. THE PRODUCTION/THE PLAYERS: Newman has reconfigured an upstairs (un air-conditioned) Loma Portal loft into a very serviceable playing space (with metal bridge-chair seating for about 50). The set he designed is attractive (if you like lavender walls and puce accents) and nicely appointed. The direction was hard to separate from the performances the night I was there (one week into the run). The pacing was sluggish; at least one actor was repeatedly groping for lines. Newman's snappy repartee demands brisk delivery. Each of the actors conveyed his character well, starting with a heavily accented Edwin Eigner, convincing as the aging, weakening Pop, with his horrible stories of racist Russia and an emotionally mother (her motivations unexplained). As Dad, Paul Halem plays drunk, stoned and irritated well, but his character has no dramatic arc. Still, he's credible in his irritable interactions with his father and son. As that (attractive, well-built) Son, Jay Michael Fraley got off to a slow start when I saw the show, but his performance strengthened as the evening went on. His is the only forward-looking character, despite his HIV+ status. And he's the only one who comes to some understanding about his family and his heritage (the bit about what he thinks the 'K' is for on Kosher foods is pretty funny). The long nude yoga/fight-with-father scene seems a tad gratuitous, but it works, under Newman's taut direction; but timing and pacing are everything in a talky, dialogue-driven play. Perhaps on less hot and humid nights, the trio pulls it off. Though the play is flawed, the entire effort is laudable. Newman makes a welcome return to San Diego theater. THE LOCATION: Loft Performance Space in Loma Portal, through July 30; an official GLBT Pride event NOTE: As if the four hats worn by Vishner/Newman aren't enough, his excellent black-and-white photographs of attractive males are also displayed in the theater. Multi-talented man. Pat
Launer |