(Posted March 23, 2009)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mounting an autobiographically inspired stage work after its creator has done so is a heady challenge. Audiences are asked to accept the very real, very personal story indelibly stamped on the public consciousness by that creator but now interpreted by someone else.

Tennessee Women’s Theater Project apparently welcomes that challenge, since they did Susan Coyne’s KINGFISHER DAYS in September to critical and audience acclaim. Their recently completed run of Lisa Kron’s WELL is another foray into memory play territory, and like its earlier colleague this recently completed run deserved high praise.

Kron first presented and starred in WELL for New York’s Public Theater before taking it to Broadway in 2006. It may be her story, but TWTP has winningly made it their own.

While such plays are inspired by real-life people and events, they appropriately acknowledge the form in which they’re presented. This is not dry history, but theater, so character composites, time compression and exaggeration are not only acceptable but also welcome.

Kron through WELL tells us she wants to look at the issue of whether we are responsible for our own sicknesses. She has been down this road at a clinic where she went for treatment as a young woman, and her mother Ann has been perpetually ill.

But there’s a delightful fly in the ointment for her pursuit of this theme – her mother Ann, whose memory of people and events is clearly and cleverly at odds with her daughter’s recollections. Ann sits off to the side in her living room, constantly interjecting her take on the proceedings.

She’s eventually aided by the four actors Kron has hired to present her story, who come to like and feel sympathy for the elder Kron. This creates often funny and sometimes poignant conflict which makes for a thought-provoking and enjoyable entertainment about much more than illness.

Lisa Dunaway was Kron. Dunaway has a lengthy stage resume, though in recent years she’s focused on non-acting work and family. The time away hasn’t impaired her acting ability, though. She was completely believable in the lead role, whether speaking straight to the audience or interacting with her fellow performers. I hope Dunaway will find more roles to play here because her artistic commitment and quality make her a pleasure to watch.

Carol Shaw was a delight as Kron’s mother. Ann Kron commanded her part of the stage – and often the rest of the proscenium too – with feisty but loving insightfulness because of Kron’s wonderful writing and Shaw’s strong performance. This talented show biz actor/singer veteran remains a real credit to Nashville’s artistic community.

The other ensemble members – Shane Bridges, Shonka Dukureh, Stacia McKee and Bakari King – were no less impressive with the multiple roles they played. That’s down to their abilities and experiences in professional theater, but it’s also a sign of TWTP’s consistently high standards under Artistic Director Maryanna Clarke.

Clarke directed this piece as she has so many others, with a theatrically adept but appropriately transparent hand. She has the wisdom to get the best collaborators she can and then facilitate but not dominate the creation and exploration of each production’s world.

The technical elements deserved praise too. Amber Wallace’s set was a perfect creation of realistic and absurdist elements while Susan Jakoblew’s costumes framed each character convincingly. Katie Gant’s lighting was revealing and precise; Chris Clarke’s sound was crisp and cohesive.

All the production elements combined to create another successful show for TWTP. Tennessee Women’s Theater Project has been a beacon for women’s stories and a shining light in Nashville’s theater scene since 2005. WELL, with its challenges and rewards, was another link in a beautiful artistic chain Clarke and her colleagues continue to build. May that chain stretch across many years for the entertainment and edification of us all.

To See The Show...

WELL closed March 8. Visit the Tennessee Women's Theater Project website for more info about the company.