The Willows 

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III 
Bootleg Theater 
Through May 5 

The play’s title refers to the funeral home operated by Mr. Black (Thomas Silcott) and his son Mark (Napleon Tavale). Mr. Black’s ongoing health problems and an impending surgery have prompted him to start grooming his son to take over the enterprise. Mark, however, is more interested in finding “the one” — his ideal woman, as he tells his father —than in training to become a mortician.

Talk of the future is interrupted when a grieving family arrives for a viewing and memorial service. Lena (Lorinda Hawkins Smith) and George Sr. (Paul Dillon) have lost their son George Jr. under tragic circumstances. They are joined by daughters Christine (Cloie Wyatt Taylor) and Pie (Kacie Rogers), along with George Jr.’s pregnant widow Maya (Stefanée Martin)

As it turns out, Maya and Mark had a heated fling years ago in Toronto, and playwright Kerri-Ann McCalla inelegantly weaves flashback scenes, relating details of their relationship, into the narrative. Some are effective, while others are mere trifles that don’t add much substance. Meanwhile, we learn some unpleasant history about the family and young George’s demise, including incidents of drug and alcohol abuse, infidelity, and George Sr.’s battle with dementia.

An apt descriptive for this piece might be creaky melodrama. It struggles mightily to engage — all the more so because it’s a play virtually devoid of action.

The performances on balance are satisfactory, but Taylor is far too overwrought and heated to make her character convincing or effective. Martha Carter’s lighting schema is well done. Jessica Hanna directs.

Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; Thur.-Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through May 5; www.bootlegtheater.org or (213) 389-3856 Running time: one hour and 25 minutes with no intermission.