In My Mind’s Eye

Reviewed by Julia Lloyd George
The Group Rep
Through March 15

In My Mind’s Eye is a charming memory play that chronicles the coming-of-age of a legally blind woman and her journey from childhood to adulthood. An ode to a geography teacher from playwright Doug Haverty’s youth, it’s dominated by scenes from the central character’s girlhood. Haverty nobly, albeit shakily, attempts to capture the evolution of a heroine struggling for acceptance despite her differences from “normal” society.

Though Patty (Peyton Kirkner) battles teasing from other children and the inevitable challenges brought on by her disability, the principal antagonist in her life is her overprotective mother, Lola (Maria Kress), whose good intentions result in unhappiness for both parties more often than not.

While their relationship is undeniably the most important in the play, the tension between this mother and daughter often feels frustratingly flat and strained. Lola either comes across as an unsympathetic bully who further isolates and holds back her already lonely daughter, or a pathetic figure that cries excessively at such moments as Patty’s prom for comic effect.

The audience is never privileged to fully understand her perspective and other shades of her character; she is merely the villain or the loser, with little in between. Though clearly the second most important character in the play, she’s presented with little depth. It’s clear that she loves and wants the best for her daughter, yet she so often achieves the exact opposite; I wanted to know so much more about the emotional history behind that tragic irony than I got.

On the other hand, Peyton Kirkner, the precocious and talented 14-year-old playing the young Patty, brings an admirable amount of spunk and energy to her role. She is full of enthusiasm and confidence almost all of the time, choosing to face life head-on; she bravely confronts both her mother and other kids when they bully her. I could not help but root for her success as she yearned to become a teacher.

When we see her older self (Kait Haire), she has achieved her dream and is beginning a new job as a teacher, yet she lacks some of the confidence and spunk of her younger self. Sweet and gentle, she gingerly embarks on a new romance with her handsome colleague (Bobby Slaski) and so begins to grow up and away from her still overbearing mother. The scenes between these two as they flirt and fall in love were my favorites of the play, as the chemistry between the actors is palpable.

But as much as I enjoyed Patty’s burgeoning romance, I couldn’t help but want her to achieve true independence instead of merely transitioning from one caretaker to another. Her final departure from her mother’s care is framed as her crowning victory, yet it never feels like a choice that she consciously made or fought for. Instead, it’s one that she merely lucked into as she skips pleasantly into marital bliss. It’s obvious that we’re meant to share her joy, yet the high never quite hits.

Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through Mar. 15. www.theGROUPrep.com. Running time: two hours with one intermission.