The current show at The Gamm Theatre is the New England premiere
of "Grace", a stimulating, frank and moving examination of the
conflict between science and faith through the lens of a
contemporary family. It is presented in one act, was written by
Irish playwright and director Mick Gordon and University of London
philosophy professor A.C. Grayling, an outspoken atheist. The show
looks at Grace Friedman who is a mother, a wife and a brilliant
professor of natural science. What's more, her assertions on the
"absurdity'' of religion have placed her center stage in the public
debate over the existence of God. But her private calm is shaken
when her son, Tom announces a career change from civil rights
attorney to Anglican priest. When Grace falls back on her
well-earned cynicism, she is suddenly at odds with the moral
pragmatism of her husband, as well as her son's fiancée who is an
agnostic due to the suicide of her mother. Together, the family
tries to reconcile their ideological differences about faith and
religion as they tumble toward personal catastrophe. Director Tony
Estrella obtains riveting performances from his four actors as he
gives them each their moments to shine in their roles. I have never
been disappointed in a show at the Gamm and this show is no
exception to that rule. This powerhouse performance brings a
spontaneous standing ovation to the cast at its conclusion. Bravo!
Tony directs this show perfectly with all the right nuances and
emotional impact. The dramatic confrontations are startling and the
crying segments beautifully portrayed. He not only directs this
show very well but blocks it wonderfully, too. He has the cast more
the chairs, bench and other props on and off stage to keep the
scenes in constant motion, making it move from past to present
quickly. The set which is circular is a map of England with a tall
white wall behind it. The set and costumes are by David T. Howard
while the intricate lighting design is by Matthew Terry. Stef Work
is the hard working stage manager who keeps things running smoothly
all night long. The show can be considered a memory play as the
playwrights show a powerful woman in need of help by starting the
show off with an interesting and slightly futuristic scene which has
Grace participating in a procedure administered by an unseen
American Professor, Michael Persinger in Canada. Nicholas Thibeault
plays the role as a live voice from offstage. (The father's running
joke in the play is that one only works in Canada but doesn't live
there.) As we learn from the two professors' dialogue when the "God
Helmet" is momentarily placed on Grace's head, it transmits
electronic signals to simulate the experience of feeling the
presence of someone. the helmet is a yellow football helmet with
electrodes on it) In Grace's case that other worldly presence is not
God but that someone gives the play its metaphysical twist. She
denies seeing anything but the audience knows better as her memories
come flooding through to them. Told in alternating scenes going from
past to present, the scene location titles are projected on the
white wall of the set which also doubles for slides of a
lecture. Grace's character is modeled on Richard Dawkins, an atheist
polemicist, she gave up Christianity back in the 1960's rebelling
against everything, especially to her abusive religious father . The
authors present both sides of the story with an evenhandedness and
with a keen sense of how our desires and passions have the capacity
to disrupt our most rationally defended ideas.
Wendy Overly as Grace gives a tour-de-force performance. Being
able to change from a troubled woman who needs to overcome a tragedy
in her life, to a strong teacher in scenes from the past while she
lectures her students on Charles Darwin and dismisses William
Paley's Watchmaker argument for intelligent design as "Complete and
utter bollocks". She delivers Grace's orations with a fire and
brimstone delivery. The ultimate acting scene is when her facade
begins to crack when she starts taking pills, revealing the wounded,
hurting mother beneath her intellectual armor. In the churchyard
scene where she is told off by Ruth for not allowing a religious
funeral for her son, Wendy's tears flow freely down her face
inducing the audience to cry along with her. When the show reaches
its final scene, Wendy uses the joke about the blind watchman to her
grandchild with humor and pathos which at first startles Tony and
Ruth. Grace's son, Tom decides to give up his law practice to become
an Episcopal priest and his mother sees that as her personal
failure. Arguments in defense of religion are offered by the
character of Tom. He recognizes the threat posed by religious
extremists and his desire is to turn "violent religion into a better
religion.'' Kyle Blanchette tackles his first large role at the Gamm
theatre and comes up triumphant. According to Dramaturge, Jennifer
Madden, further complicating the matter, the playwrights
specifically chose to make Tom the more sympathetic character,
Grayling gives the best arguments to the non-religious character,
because they belong there and the most charming and attractive
personality to the religious one because the seductions of faith are
a matter far more of emotion than reason. Tom rejects the violence
of religious extremism, calling for a better religion. Furthermore I
don't supply cover for sexist, homophobic, bigoted people who put
bombs on planes. I did that when I was a lawyer His last time
onstage he delivers a sermon on Moses and the Golden Calf as "the
great story of religion". As Moses goes up the mountain, he makes a
journey to 'the real divine'. There he encounters a feeling of being
lost while at the bottom of the mountain is the calf they all bow
down to. But it is a con and the whole story about God isn't like
anything we expect. That is why it pisses me off when the atheists
keep trying to tell me what sort of God I believe in." Kyle makes
this appealing character stand out with his fine acting chops. What
a great way to play a major role in this wonderful theatre company
at a young age. Kyle does topnotch work with the other three
performers in this challenging role.
The character of Tony is played excellently by Jim O'Brien, who
tries to referee between mother and son with good humor and later
with the two women after Tom's death. A comic scene is when Kyle and
Jim are dressed as Alice in Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts which
is interlaced with the following church scene. Tony is wonderfully
drawn as the lapsed Jew who we find in the Churchyard reciting "The
Kaddish" in one of his serious moments .The father jokes about a
priest being named Tom Friedman being taken seriously to placate his
wife and with Tom, he thinks back to the time Tom put Ecstasy in his
Chicken Curry and wishes he had some Ecstasy now to escape Grace and
Tom's arguments. Tony also talks about the Bengal Tiger which is his
belief in Hinduism ticks off the Jews because it is an older
religion but he won't convert to it because he will have to give up
steak. Jim plays this pragmatic man who has to walk the fine line
between his combative wife and religiously inspired son. Karen
Carpenter plays her best role to date as Ruth with a strong
determination and powerful line delivery. She is loving toward Tom,
combative with Grace and friendly with Tony. Karen is not only
dramatic in this show but gives a comic turn when she decides to
recite a religious poem at the service but instead reads how the
parents fucked up their son like their parents did the same thing to
them. She puts Grace in her place at the churchyard where she uses
her own words against her, you wanted everything up front and keeps
Grace away from her grandchild for two years. Ruth and Tom refer to
many movies throughout the show including "The Matrix", "A Few Good
Men" and "The Sixth Sense". Ruth who is pregnant with Tom's child
and coming to terms with her loss is the most compelling of the four
characters. She is the struggling agnostic who admits ultimately
that her reluctance to marry Tom wasn't because of any aversion to
faith but because she knew that he would love God more that her.
Karen raging with grief in a scene almost unbearable to watch, she
cries out against the 'unbelievably dangerous' power of love which
she has recognized in becoming a mother. "I would kill for that
child. Kill. No hesitation. For her I would destroy. Absolutely.
Mutilate someone. Like Tom was mutilated.. Kindness, that's the big
one, not love. It's calm and considerate and hesitant and certainly
the more difficult one to do." Ruth named the child after her dead
mother, Shandra which means sunflower. Karen has grown so much as an
actress since I first saw her in "Lonesome West". She gives the
character many layers to the character which makes her far more
interesting. Brava! So for a fabulous show which lets the audience
figure out what is right for them in a sensational premiere, be sure
to catch "Grace" at the Gamm. You will be glad you did.
GRACE ( 12 March to 5 April, 2009)
The Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange Street,
Pawtucket, RI
