Usher Nonsense #42 – WELL
WELL –by Lisa Kron, Directed by Leigh Silverman, Dramaturge – John Dias,
at The Public Theatre
With Kenajuan Bentley, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Jayne Houdyshell, Lisa
Kron, Joel Van Liew and Welker White
Sets – Allen Moyer, Lights – Christopher Akerlind, Costumes – Miranda
Hoffman
You won't be able to take your eyes off her once you notice her. She's sleeping on
stage when you enter the theatre. But even in that position, she's so good that soon
you forget she's there and chat among yourselves.
I am referring to Jane Houdyshell. Houdyshell (how fabulous a name is that!) plays
Ann Kron, Lisa's mother, afflicted and entranced by her own allergies to the point of
chronic exhaustion, who is the bane of Lisa Kron's childhood . Why is this woman
more interested in being SICK than being, well, WELL?
This is an exploration, Kron tells us, and she makes no bones about the question.
To plead her case, she invites us into her past as she views it. Her mother was
strong when she helped integrate their Lansing neighborhood in the 1960's. Why
didn't she stay strong? Lisa had allergies. She got over them. Why hasn't her
mother? But this autobiographical piece soon escapes from the barn and is off
frolicking in the world of sharing the stage with other actors. Kron shares the stage
graciously, and has picked herself some crackerjack actors (all playing multiple parts
except for Houdyshell). The only drawback is that it becomes obvious that Kron is
not as skilled and actor as her cast. Her craft is the one-person performance. But
this is an ensemble piece.
Still, the story and the exploration progress at a pretty pace. It soon becomes clear
that Kron's view of her past and her mother's place in it are not at all as interesting
as what happens when her past and her mother demand that Kron stop talking to us
and deal with them. This is not an original conceit, but it is worked delicately here
and manages to take the audience along a journey that is obviously well constructed,
but gives the appearance of happening in the moment.
And Houdyshell, Houdyshell, Houdyshell. What a gem. She is on stage for the
entire evening and is given the task of listening, deducing, sleeping through and
stepping up to Kron's challenges. She does each of these as though she were giving
you a recipe for her favorite pound cake while telling you it's history four
generations back. You don't know which she likes better, the cake or the story.
Kron and her director and dramaturge (and most of the cast) have spent three years
working together on WELL. They have created a brave piece about self-revelation
and self-deception. There are parallel universes crossing paths here. You have to
pay attention. And you do because Houdyshell is there to stand as your guide. Not
only is she your guide, she's the one who takes your hand and says, "Let's jump in
together. It's better that way. You just see if it isn't." So you jump. And it is.
©2004 Tulis McCall
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