In Mother Words
Joan Stein and Susan Rose are the creators of this compilation of ever-changing individual playlets by some of the leading voices in American dramatic literature: Leslie Ayvazian, David Cale, Jessica Goldberg, Beth Henley, Lameece Issaq, Claire La Zebnik, Lisa Loomer, Michele Lowe, Marco Pennette, Lisa Ramirez, Theresa Rebeck, Luanne Rice, Annie Weisman, and Cheryl L. West.
Many ideas of motherhood are explored—from what it is like to give birth to a child, adopt a child, raise a child in a same-sex home, have a child with special needs, worry over a child, long for a child, (present or absent)—but not, unfortunately, anything about the negative side of motherhood: losing a child to drugs, disease, war, gangs, or the brutality and hardship stemming from financial need, infidelity, misunderstanding, unhappy marriage, and abandonment—whatever the cause for that may be. Although our time in the theatre is glossed over by the most idyllic aspects of motherhood—and I fully expected to thoroughly dislike the show—I must admit that by the end of the performances tears were in my eyes as I identified with both being a mother and having a mother.
The acting was on a level of excellence that only the most professional actors can achieve. Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Jane Kaczmarek, James Lecesne, and Amy Pietz could not have been more engrossing and emotionally rich with the material at their disposal.
Lisa Peterson, as director, kept the scenes dovetailing one into another seamlessly with interesting visuals projected on screens behind the actors. Why she chose to have actors read from scripts on music stands, however, is beyond my ability to imagine. Was it copyright problems, or the intention of rotating actors so quickly that she couldn’t ask them to memorize the lines, or some Brechtian concept of keeping the audience detached enough to avoid sentimentality? I couldn’t figure it out. I really disliked this choice. It seemed to me to be playing it safe, somehow. Fortunately, most of the actors referred to their scripts quite infrequently, although several mistakes were made and lines corrected because of those ever-present scripts.
In Mother Words is performed in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater space at the Geffen which is dedicated to championing new plays and helping them in their various stages of development. All in all, it was a light period of time spent in the theatre. It was sentimental, touching at times, without adequate depth, or new insights into motherhood. Some people may like it very much; others may feel the entire experience more suited for television.
Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90024
Box office: 310-208-5454
www.geffenplayhouse.com