Laura Gardner and Virginia Newcomb (Photo by Julie Fowells)
Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
The Fountain Theatre
Through March 30
RECOMMENDED
In Alabaster, Alice (Erin Pineda), a New York photographer of some repute — both good and not-so-good — sets out on a nationwide journey to take pictures of shockingly scarred women and to chronicle their journeys and their pain. There’s Daniela, who was scalded in a bathtub at 10 months old. There’s Nadja, a Pakistani woman whose husband threw acid in her face.
And then there is June (Virginia Newcomb), seriously injured and scarred from flying debris on her family farm in a tornado in Alabaster, Alabama, not far from Birmingham — the same terrifying storm that killed her parents and younger sister. It is when Alice comes to June’s farm for her photographic project that the play begins, and the unfolding tale of the two women and their developing relationship is rich, complex and compelling.
The subject matter is heavy, but playwright Audrey Cefaly masterfully brings in enough humor and suspense that the narrative feels more like a psychological and emotional thriller than something bleak. For good reason the Fountain Theatre’s production of this Pulitzer-nominated show (a Los Angeles premiere) is billed as “darkly comic.”
June and Alice’s initial encounter is not easy. June is uncomfortable with Alice, hostile even, poking at her, questioning her motives — even though June had reached out to Alice to be part of her project. But as June continues to make digs, we learn that Alice has had her share of tragedy as well. The two women handle their pain and grief in very different ways. June has isolated herself on her farm, and her fear and guilt churn just below her surface. Alice travels all over the country and is seemingly more sanguine about her losses.
Yet their relationship deepens as they find common ground in their pain, though June is still guarded and too scared to leave her farm, even temporarily.
Throughout the action, we also see and hear Weezy (Carolyn Messina), a talking goat who acts as a sardonic friend, mother figure, self-described wise Yoda-type, and even a bit of a Greek chorus. To her ailing goat mother, Bib (Laura Gardner), she is completely devoted. Weezy is a delightfully unexpected and inventive character who is, ultimately, a healer.
Cefaly’s dialogue shines, but never more so than in June’s hypnotic telling of the tornado. And the scene where June bares her skin to show her scars on her chest and back so that Alice can photograph her is deeply poignant.
There are a couple of plot points having to do with June’s artistic talent and Alice’s father that aren’t particularly compelling, but they fit within the framework of moving on from emotional wounds. Also, June has a monologue, guided by Weezy, that seems oddly out of place, though it is clearly meant as a turning point.
Director Casey Stangl has a handle on the dramatic and comedic elements of Alabaster, and brings them together naturally.
Newcomb delivers a remarkable performance, capturing, in every line and movement, June’s many layers and the terror that still grips her. Pineda’s Alice is more difficult to empathize with, perhaps because, in contrast to June, Alice hides her emotions. Messina, in ponytails and overalls, is terrific as the talking goat and all that she represents. And though we don’t see much of the bleating Bib (unlike her daughter, she does not speak), Gardner is luminous in a brief but moving scene near the end of the play.
Adding immense power to the dramatic moments are the lighting design by Alison Brummer, which includes jarring strobes, and the video design by Ly Eisenstein, with its flashes of red streaks and more across the set. Equally unsettling is Andrea Allmond’s sound design, with menacing thunder and pre- and post-disaster sirens. Scenic designer Frederica Nascimento brings to life a modest farmhouse whose tornado-damaged walls are the wooden equivalents of June’s scars.
Alabaster is the first play of the Fountain’s 35th season — and the first under its new artistic director Raymond O. Caldwell. If this production is any indication of the remainder of the season, this company’s reputation for artistic excellence should sustain.
The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood; Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, 8 pm; Sundays, 2 pm. Mondays, Pay-What-You-Want, subject to availability. fountaintheatre.com. Running time: Two hours, including intermission.
