and Jordan Slattery (Kitty) in ‘Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes.’ Photo by Christopher Mueller.
Family ties can be hard, even as an adult. And when the adult child comes fleeing home after some unwise choices, they can be even harder. And when you add in a couple of other young lost souls also seeking sanctuary in said family home, well, that just adds more dynamics.
This is a little gem that is laugh-out-loud cathartic. It says that bad things happen, sometimes really terrible things, but that there is hope. And what a joyful message to receive.
In the end, luckily this family–a work in progress on many levels–ultimately has each other.
Dani Stoller, the playwright, and a well-known DMV actor has a gift for writing comedy, and a sense that even in the messiness of huge life-changing events, some families can muddle through to the other side, or at least to the next day. It evidently helps to be a little on the wacky side. The only spoiler alert I’ll give is that there is a sense that for now, at least, there’s a semi-hopeful ending.
This is a family that is willing to try almost anything to find a way through–even learning to breathe through your v****a—and yes, the men most bemusedly join in. There is a truly hysterical scene where this entire disjointed household holds a group effort at coming to terms with their crises by learning to breathe through their private parts to release the anger and pain. And it works, sort of.
Lee (Shanara Gabrielle) has come running home to Florida after her husband asks her to leave their New York City apartment—and he has a reason. He found out through a miss-sent text that she has been having a series of affairs for a year. Marian (Susan Rome) her mother, has picked her up at the airport and brought her home, installing her in the study. When Lee wants to know why she can’t be in the guest room as usual, her mother drops the bombshell that her husband’s niece, Kitty (Jordan Slattery), is 18, pregnant and installed there. Also staying in the house is the just-turned-18-year-old next-door neighbor boy, Bobby (John Austin) who is a senior in high school on his way to Princeton, or maybe Yale or Harvard. Rounding out our happy family is Richard, her second husband; Marian has been divorced from Lee’s father for years, and he’s now dead.
So, over a couple of days, Lee comes apart, her mother comes semi-apart, and Kitty turns out to be much more than first appearances would dictate. Richard props up everybody, quite unobtrusively, and Bobby turns out to be one of the good guys—and he loses his virginity.
But there is mending in this show and a lot of heart. Lee’s transgressions bring up old fears and regrets for her mother. Kitty forces Lee to some hard truths, even if not in the kindest of ways—the girl has a talent for brutal truths. And she opens up as well and admits some vulnerabilities. Bobby starts seeing that life is possible after tragedy. And Richard holds his love around them all.
And along with the tears, smoking, drinking, shouting, ultimatums and a shopping trip to Talbot’s, bonds are renewed and strengthened. Plus, this is just a very funny show. One of the best things about the smart script is that Stoller recognizes that even in the midst of crises, things are absurd. And that the absence of noise does not mean abandonment; there is a need for quiet, and just breathing. However you choose to breathe…
At times the script does seem a little sit-com glib, and a little too on-the-nose. But the performances override these little moments and allow us to even envy a little bit a family that has a big heart at its core and welcomes the hurt, broken, and frightened in to find a place to lick wounds and face the world again.
As Lee, Gabrielle finds the self-loathing and deep fears of being just hard-wired wrong somehow underneath the brittle neediness and demandingness of her character. We watch her grow up and start taking responsibility, and we see the fear of maybe it’s not enough, but she’ll have to deal. Rome has superb comedic timing and imbues Marian with the pain and joy of motherhood—wanting to protect your young at all costs, yet letting them face consequences. She provides a landing place for Lee, Kitty and Bobby.
Slattery takes what appears a vapid, self-absorbed, immature character and peels the layers to find a brave, stronger-than-she-knows young woman inside. Austin is a treat—hurt, hangdog, unaware of his good looks—he makes you ache for him and cheer as he starts to work his way out of the abyss of grief he’s in. He too has delirious comic timing as he does his best to help out however he can, even with weird breathing exercises.
But it’s Wolfe as Richard who gives such a solid, unobtrusive performance you almost take him for granted. His willingness to take part in whatever crackpot idea Marian comes up with to get the family back on track and his ability to give people acceptance is the structure supporting everyone. It’s a superb performance.
Stevie Zimmerman directs the action in a brisk and layered manner. Meghan Raham is the scenic designer, and the first floor of the house looks picture-perfect as a middle-class haven. There’s nothing particularly special about the house, yet it draws you in.
Andrew Cissna does an ace job with the lighting, and the costumes by Debra Kim Sivigny are spot-on—they define the characters without shouting.
This is a little gem that is laugh-out-loud cathartic. It says that bad things happen, sometimes really terrible things, but that there is hope. And what a joyful message to receive.
Running Time: Two hours including a 15-minute intermission.
Advisory: Adult topics and language, partial nudity, sexuality, cigarette smoking.
“Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes,” runs through March 29, 2020, at Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA. For more information, please click here.
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Theatre Review: 'Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes' at Signature Theatre - MD Theatre Guide
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