Laura Berner Taylor, Dorian Stokes, Betsy Moore (photo by Rich McKie)
Reviewed by Odalys Nanin
Stella Adler Theatre
Through Feb. 8
RECOMMENDED
Hurricane winds blow, thunder claps are heard as the storm crescendos to a high pitch destroying everything in its path; then, suddenly, the storm dies.
The beautiful realistic set of a 1990’s living room with scattered boxes and kitchen( designed by Annie Terrazzo) glows in sunlight as we hear the birds chirp, seagulls screech, and the soothing sound of the waves. The calmness fills the set with the warm radiant sunlight. A holy moment is created as time stands stills, then suddenly the door bursts open to reveal Tinka (Laura Berner Taylor) who screams, sits on the floor, frustrated that she has arrived to her mother’s house on the shore. Her mother collects paintings of light houses which are visible on the walls of the set. The lighthouse is a symbol that guides you to safety in a storm. But this is not a holiday visit like many others. Tina is here after being told her mother passed away in her rocking chair on account of a mysterious heart attack caused by Hurricane Kate.
Enter her older sister Ellen (the sarcastically convincing Betsy Moore) the elder of three sisters and one brother. Their friction is palpable throughout their conversation. Tinka is like a fuse about to explode in the face of Ellen’s potent sarcasm. It seems her younger sister Grace (played with tender compassion by Dorian Stokes) is the most affected by the death of their mother. She’s the more innocent of the clan. The only male sibling is Stuart (Daniel Robbins plays the role with a flare that comes from transforming himself repeatedly but never reaching his goal). He gave up drinking in order to get closer to God. He works in construction now instead of being a musician. The funniest character is Cowboy Bob, the mother’s boyfriend (William Salyers, a seasoned actor who knows how to set up the punchline of every joke).
Playwright Scott Golden has written a play about how each sibling deals with the loss of their mother, their rock and sole reason for meeting as a family.
They barely tolerate each other. Somewhere in time they have lost the sense of belonging as a family. Some of us run away from facing our demons and others stay to confront them. But there is a bigger twist in this melodrama. It unfolds after reading a will that their mother wrote on a scrap of paper. But why did their mother commit suicide? Grace reveals that perhaps neglect was the cause, no longer needed by her own children. The pivotal moment of the play is when Grace offers to name her soon to be newborn child after Tinka, but only if she promises to be present in her baby’s life. Tinka finally lets her more tender emotions surface, hugging her sister with all her might. Taylor’s heartfelt performance gives us hope for healing.
Writer Golden has a clear view on ageism. We must be present in our parents’ lives as they grow older. Our society disregards our older generation without seeing how valuable they have been to us in our lives.
A play of resilience in the darkest of moments, of acceptance of our greatest losses and of learning the greatest of all lessons: that there’s always a calm after a storm. The key is to ride out the storm to its bitter end.
The Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat. and Mon., 8 pm, Sun., 4 pm; thru Feb. 8 . https://hurricanekate.eventbrite.com.
