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A real treat Review by: Erin, Oct 30, 2008 |
| Brilliant acting, complex characters - - saw three times and it never got old. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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Recommended for:
Business Assoc., Seniors, Tourists
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IF I HAD A HAMMER (AMERICAN FOLK SONG) Review by: Beth M, Oct 28, 2008 |
Kindness by Adam Rapp
By Beth Mandelbaum
What could the enormous and threatening looking hammer which serves as the logo for Adam Rapp’s new play possibly have to do with kindness? This tool serves as a key cliffhanger in this provocative, suspenseful, compelling, and extraordinarily well acted play. Kindness explores the evolution of the relationship between Dennis, a troubled teen with little that is good to say about his ... read more mother Maryanne, who is dying of cancer, and two strangers who enter their lives and their hotel room (which serves as the only set for the play).
Dennis and Maryanne have come from Illinois to spend a weekend in New York at an extremely grim period in their lives. Maryanne, who has about a month to live, is escaping from her gambling addicted husband, Dennis’ father. She is seeking a weekend of “fun,” though Dennis spends considerable time bickering and sniping.
Maryanne has tickets to the hit musical “Survivin’” to which Dennis will not accompany her. The theme of the musical that she is so looking forward to is about love and dying. As has been pointed out, the musical sounds a great deal like Rent, in which the playwright’s brother actually starred (Anthony Rapp)!! And the musical also seems to connect with the real life situation encountered by Maryanne and her troubled and unhappy son.
To me, Dennis’ perceived emotional withdrawal and apathy are really a covering up and a holding back of the intense feelings not far below the surface. The fascinating and mysterious stranger Frances happens to enter his room while Maryanne is at the show with the genial taxi driver Herman, whom she had met earlier in the day. As Frances’ extremely tall and snake like body does its odd dance over and over across the room, she asks Dennis many questions about his life and feelings, becoming the vehicle for Dennis’ opening up. I wondered, Is Frances trying to lead Dennis down a road of evil, or down a path of truth and self knowledge? Among other things, Dennis shares how much he hates his mother, and his fantasies about the ways that he has imagined doing his mother in.
In watching Frances very closely, I could see quite a few moments of genuine compassion for Dennis’ plight, something seemingly completely unexpected, given her highly seductive personality and rather slithery style. So perhaps we now think we have a vague idea why the play is called Kindness, as so far we have not witnessed anything resembling an emotionally felt act of kindness or caring.
We also witness a wonderful and highly spontaneous act of human kindness on the part of Herman, the taxi driver, MaryAnne’s new friend, who expresses his gratitude for the gift of the ticket to “Survivin’.” Someone suggested that they order Chinese food, and Herman offers to go and buy quite an array of goodies, refusing to accept any money from anyone. He seems to relish in expressing himself out of the genuineness of his heart and spirit of generosity. To me, Herman would seem to have come into MaryAnne’s life as a force of love, allowing her one last chance before she dies to recapture feeling attractive, happy, and healthy, and cared for. So now we are perhaps even a bit surer that these sunny moments are a reason why the play is called Kindness.
Towards the end of the second act, we witness a beautiful and highly emotional reconciliation and between mother and son, something highly unexpected, and which seemed to wash away all of Dennis’ unkindness to Maryanne. Perhaps now one may feel that concept of kindness has perhaps reached its height.
I would say that the above are true. But for me, there is a deeper and potentially darker side to the meaning of kindness in this play. This is where things become scarier, extremely suspenseful and ultimately, bone chilling.
Near the end of the play, Maryanne tells Dennis that she has reached the end of her capacity to endure the excruciating pain, exhaustion, and nausea that she has been experiencing, quite graphically, throughout the play. Dennis manages to get her into her bed, where she begins to look calmer and more peaceful. Then suddenly, I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat, gasping, as Dennis appears to be about to, and very, very slowly to keep the tension high, enact one of the fantasies that had shared with Frances as to how he might murder his mother. Then there is a collective sigh of relief, as the audience realizes that he was simply trying to make his mother even more comfortable as she rests.
At it darkest level, at the very end, we are left wondering whether Dennis is about to fulfill his desire by taking the most violent of his imagined actions against his now sleeping mother. We see Dennis with shaking hands outstretched, holding an object and sobbing intensely. And then there is darkness, and we will never know what would have taken place.
I left in tears and also deep in thought: Would Dennis actually murder his mother in cold blood? Would he have continued to stand there, struggling over what he genuinely wanted to do? Or might Dennis have decided on a “mercy killing?” For me, the play raises extremely significant notions of the long debated issue as to whether “euthanizing” a person who has been suffering intolerably, and where there is no hope, could conceivably be considered an act of kindness? This raises extreme ethical and moral dilemmas. I feel that this question is at the very heart of Adam Rapp’s Kindness.
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Tourists, Adults
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