Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Baby Screams Miracle Also see Susan's reviews of Caroline, or Change, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and As You Like It
In their isolated home in eastern Washington State, Carol (Kate Eastwood Norris) and her husband Gabe (Cody Nickell) use prayer as their bulwark against the threats and quandaries of everyday life. Sometimes their devotion gets uncomfortably intense, as when Gabe prays that he wants to "die to myself" to make himself a better husband and father. Carol doesn't think love for God should mean the destruction of self. Then the storm arrives, recedes, and hits back harder. Shalwitz and Kronzer had the inspired idea of using models to show the deteriorating condition of the house from the exterior while depicting the interior destruction through flying props such as leaves blowing in from the wings. Mezzocchi's videos bring the rage of the storm to life, aided by Palmer Hefferan's sound design. The onslaught of the storm brings together the rest of the family: Carol's mother, Barbara (Sarah Marshall); Carol's adult daughter, Cynthia (Caroline Dubberly); and Carol and Gabe's shy young daughter, Kayden (Mia Rilette or Caroline Rilette). To complicate matters, both Carol and Cynthia are pregnant. During the play, which runs one hour and 45 minutes without intermission, the calamities pile up: one character has a prosthetic foot, a deer collides with Gabe's car, the family's dog dies, and Kayden has a way of disappearing. The actors do a good job of navigating this difficult and puzzling drama.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company |