Review: A Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard. Produced by Collektor in association with ACT Theatre and Central Heating Lab. Directed by Rob West. With Ray Tagavilla, Sally Brady, Aimée Bruneau, Tim Gouran, Macall Gordon, Joe Ivy, Eric Riedmann, Maggie Jane Tatone, Sean Patrick Taylor. Now through October 1 at Bullitt Cabaret at ACT.
Moving on from Part One of the my three theater show weekend, I’m now jumping to some professionals who knew better and picked a better play for their fall production. Two days after seeing the disappointing “Wind” I had the pleasure of seeing the premiere production of a new theater company, Collektor, with Sam Shepard’s 1985 play, A Lie of the Mind, now playing at ACT as part of their Central Heating Lab program. Everything “Wind” wasn’t, this production has in spades: a brilliantly funny but dark script, still timely and provocative and exciting after 25 years; smart direction by company co-founder Rob West; and brilliant performances by the eight member cast, each one of them doing outstanding work. A Lie of the Mind is not a short play; the three act play runs three hours (including the two intermissions) yet it races by, leaving you breathless by the end and wanting to see more…it’s a bit like seeing a really cool new series on HBO and finding out there won’t be another season. It’s only disadvantage: it’s being staged in the intimate Bullitt Cabaret space with its rather minimal staging area and awkward seating. (Note: I love this space at ACT…for cabaret performances. It’s not a good space for plays.)
A Lie of the Mind’s eight characters and various plot lines are divided between two Western families connected by the brutal relationship between the son of one family and the daughter of the other. The play opens with the desperate Jake calling his brother Frankie to report that he’s killed his wife, Beth, in a jealous rage after an argument about Beth performing in a local theater production; Jake is disgusted, jealous and convinced Beth is cheating on him. Meanwhile, in a hospital room, the not-dead Beth is attempting to recover from being brutally beaten by Jake and now suffers from brain damage, with impaired speech, cognitive reasoning and movement and her loyal brother Mike is attempting to help her find her way back; not all of the damage is necessarily permanent.
Ray Tagavilla and Maggie Tatone in "A Lie of the Mind" a Collektor production at ACT now through Oct 1. Photo credit: Jennessa West
Other family members emerge to care for the wounded. Lorraine, Jake and Frankie’s possessive mother swoops in to save her favored son, and nurses the damaged Jake in the comforts of his boyhood bedroom, (while ignoring Frankie and berating her youngest child, her daughter Sally.) Beth and Mike’s parents; Baylor, a short-tempered rancher and Meg, his sweet, put upon wife descend to return Beth to their family ranch in Montana. While the couple separately attempts to recuperate in their respective childhood homes, various siblings of the pair intercede to make sense of the violence…which naturally leads to more violence as members of the two families begin to meet up and we try to get answers to the various questions raised in the play: What happened to Jake and Beth? What’s the mystery about the death of Lorraine’s husband/Jake, Frankie and Sally’s dad? Why is Lorraine so possessive? Why are these families so dysfunctional? And, how many “lies” are being told?
Like most of Sam Shepard’s work, A Lie of the Mind is brutal. And also very funny. And also very American. His most acclaimed plays are always about damaged people, usually in a family dynamic and with a hint of violence in the air, and while the plots might seem broad, there’s always the ring of truthfulness to the characters and the situations. Shepard’s odd, maladjusted characters always seem familiar to one degree or another…maybe they’re not members of your own family but you’ve met these people at some point. If not members of your own tribe, then they’re the odd parents of your new girl or boy friend, or the siblings of that college roommate, or a booth full of people at an Ihop you stopped at on the Interstate and you eavesdropped on their argument over what should be done about Aunt Gladys and her 27 cats. They’re uniquely American which means they’re uniquely brutal in their relationships.
And, every aspect of this production is uniquely excellent. Mr. West’s taut direction, all the more impressive being hampered by the odd theater space; Etta Lilienthal’s simple duel staging areas; Evan Ritter’s expressive lighting; the very appropriate costumes of Jennessa West; Jodie Knowles very realistic make-up, for the beat up Jake and Beth; the excellent stage managing by Stacy Lynn Gilbert; the haunting live music performance of Sean Patrick Taylor. Praises to all.
Ray Tagavilla and Aimée Bruneau are the dysfunctional couple at the center of "A Lie of the Mind". Photo credit: Rob West.
But, A Lie of the Mind is most definitely an actor’s showcase and all eight actors do exemplary work. Ray Tagavilla, a co-founder of the company, has finally found the big, juicy starring role he deserves to play. Mr. Tagavilla has been earning scores of admirers in the last couple of years for his work, but it’s mainly been in very small shows, or small roles in larger shows and he hasn’t had the proper vehicle to showcase his talent. A Lie of the Mind is very much an ensemble piece, with each role having major importance, but Jake opens and closes the show, and the central relationship between Jake and Beth drives the plot of the piece. It’s a major role and Mr. Tagavilla utilizes the contrast between his deep voice and lithe body to contrast both the brutality and the fragility of Jake character. It’s a very commanding but nuanced performance and one of the year’s best.
He’s matched by his Beth. In lesser hands, the role of a brain damaged young woman with a speech impediment could be a major theatrical train wreck…it’s easy to go off the rails with mentally challenged characters. But, Aimée Bruneau gives a bold, brave, fearless performance that always remains real and convincing and on point. The initial reaction to her character is one of shock; is this really how this character is going to talk and behave for the rest of the play? It’s a bit off-putting to hear a “challenged” character speak in a play but the reality of this performance grounds the surreality of the character and her condition. But, Ms Bruneau isn’t afraid to get laughs with the role as well; Beth in her “damaged” state offers some profound truths which are frequently very funny and the actress is able to navigate both the humor in the role and the pathos. It’s an amazing performance and if this play debuted before July 30, I’m convinced she’d be sitting on top of the Gregory Award nomination list for Best Actress. (For that matter, the entire cast should be nominated for every award available.)
Joe Ivy, Aimée Bruneau and Tim Gouran in Sam Shepard's "A Lie of the Mind". Photo credit: Jennessa West
As for the rest of the ensemble, I’ve seen Tim Gouran in several plays in the last year and he continues to grow as an actor and take risks (ie his full frontal nude scene and powerful performance in last winter’s Red Light Winter.) His loyal but slightly dim Frankie is a great partner to the other actors, especially his work with Mr. Tagavilla and Joe Ivey’s cantakerous Baylor. And, his final scenes with Mr Bruneau are chilling.
Prior to this production, I don’t think I was familiar with Eric Riedmann, but with this performance, he instantly became one of my actors to watch for in future productions. The power, the rage, the frustration and the love of the fraternally frustrated Mike and his ultimately impotent attempts to get his family to respect him are handled with equal amounts of nuanced power from this actor. I want to see a lot more from Eric Riedmann. It was an astounding performance.
But, then I was astounded a few minutes later with the arrival of Mike’s parents in the play, Baylor and Meg, played by Joe Ivy and Sally Brady and once again, here were actors I wasn’t familiar with, and once again, they blew me away. The bluster and crust of Mr. Ivy’s Baylor contrasts perfectly the with vague, damaged charms of Ms Brady’s Meg. Their moments together on stage make you wish for a Shepard sanctioned spin off, “The Life and Times of Baylor and Meg”. The couple made simple, background moments into scenes of great beauty; towards the end of the play, the couple reverently fold an American flag, the first thing they’ve done as a couple in many years. It’s a simple but beautiful moment lovingly acted by these two performers.
Monster mom Lorraine could also be spun off into a sitcom, but it would have to be on FOX. Macall Gordon was appropriately Shakespearean, (and very funny) in Seattle Shakes’ Merry Wives of Windsor last spring. In “Lie” Ms Gordon is channeling Peg Bundy with a touch of Jocasta as the selfish, grasping, mercurial mother to Jake, Frankie and Sally. Lorraine IS a monster, and not the slightest bit sentimental, but you can’t help but love her a little bit despite her many, many failures as a parent. Ms Gordon’s sardonic and sly performance is a joy to behold, whipping her mane of crinkly hair about and with a perpetual pout or sneer always lurking on her lips. She’s the bitch mom you’re thrilled you don’t have, but you’re always glad to go out to lunch with, if she’s your roommates mom, and she’s buying.
Finally, a very fine performance by the youngest member of the cast, Maggie Tatone as Sally, the little sister/daughter who always seems to get the short end of the stick. A recent grad of Cornish, Ms Tatone gives a fully realized, passionate performance as the wistful and slightly bitter youngest member of Jake’s family and the moment she realizes she’ll never be as loved by her mother as her brother Jake, is heart breaking and she’s another young actress to look for in future productions.
That’s a lot of raving but A Lie of the Mind deserves its praise and it’s the must see show on Seattle stages. It needs to be seen and praised by as many people as possible, so Collektor can continue to make more theater. I want to see MUCH more from this new company.
