Lloyd Pedersen and Clara Rodriguez (Photo by Doug Engalla)
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
The Group Rep
Through May 5
RECOMMENDED
A lone female figure thrashes about in a frenetic dance behind an opaque glass-paned partition in the opening scene of Doug Haverty’s dramedy. It is an unsettling image, that of an entity struggling to escape a mysterious confinement. We soon learn that the woman is Jeanette “Nettie” Glendenning (Clara Rodriguez), the once flamboyant owner of a fast-paced Los Angeles public relations firm, ensnared for the last 15 years by Huntington’s Disease, a rare and degenerative neurological condition that has robbed her of speech and gifted her with uncontrollable dance-like movement – what a family member calls “the dance of death.” The disease is also hereditary so her two daughters have a chance of acquiring it – hence the double meaning of the play’s title. The siblings’ divergent ways of dealing with that grim prospect are the crux of Haverty’s touching and often hilarious work under Kathleen R. Delaney’s assured direction.
It is 1987 and Monica (Anna Connelly) and younger sister Amanda (Anica Petrovic) – nicknamed Nicky and Mandy respectively – are now in their mid-30s. The family business has flourished since they took it over following Nettie’s diagnosis, all the while alternating as caretakers along with their doting father Hank (Lloyd Pedersen). Their office is in their family home where Nettie roams about at will, and while she cannot communicate verbally, she can hear and understand everything her relatives say. While constant care for Nettie has taken an emotional toll on them all, they have found a way to make it work.
The responsible Nicky chooses not to dwell on her chances of getting sick and has long term plans, such as a life with her freelance photographer boyfriend Colin (a roguish Andy Shephard). On the other hand, the flighty Mandy lives as if her days are numbered, exemplified by her penchant for one-night stands with much younger men. Her latest fling, Errol (a goofy Sean Babcock), is a recent graduate of UCLA (“That’s where she does all her shopping” Nicky snidely opines of her sibling) who currently works as a naïve mail room clerk at a talent agency. When Colin finds out about a test that can determine the chances of someone developing Huntington’s, both sisters react according to their natures, escalating the deeply brewing tensions between them.
Haverty displays a sharp wit, manifested in sarcastic moments between Colin and Nicky, Errol’s gullibility to outlandish tales, and some snappy one-liners. Haverty is also adept with the dramatic, as in the testier moments between Nicky and Mandy that reveal resentments kept mutually concealed. Designer Frank McKown’s lighting adds to Delaney’s often moody staging that aptly reveals or obfuscates the characters’ sentiments. As the contrasting siblings, Connelly and Petrovic complement each other well in their debates over whether to accept or deny the reality of a future marked by devastating illness, each making her own plausible argument. Through a radiant smile or gloomy frown, Rodriguez effectively portrays the noble Nettie, a captive woman who refuses to allow her captivity to define her.
The Group Rep, 10900 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 2 p.m.; thru May 5. www.thegrouprep.com (Running time two hours and ten minutes, with a ten-minute intermission.)
