Taking Care
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cast
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By Joseph N. Feinstein
You're a widowed mother past eighty, and you have a son, forty-five, who also happens to be mentally challenged - what do you do? Very simply, you take care of him, as well as yourself, as best you can. And, when you can no longer do that, what then?
In this ninety-five minute play now appearing at the Little Victory Theatre and running through June 17, Mia McCullough has created two characters: Ma, ably and courageously performed by Maria Gobetti; and her son, Benny, who is brought to life with a realism by Tim Sullens that perfectly portrays an imperfect man. There is mainly depression, angst, and sadness for this pair with some clear tunnels of light and hope through their character development as the play progresses. Ms. McCullough has told us that this play is inspired by actual events. And, while tedious at time to watch; nevertheless, the play offers the audience insight and new respect for the plight of the caregiver in today's society.
You will feel the frustrations of this aging mother as she attempt to cajole, plead, and admonish her errant son to take the pills which will calm him down. And, you will also feel the uncertainty, the anxiety, and the awful frustration as Benny roams around the tight quarters of his apartment and his life, obsessively, compulsively doing his thing. You will share a few, very few, lighter, brighter moments of their lives as they celebrate his birthday, her birthday, Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah. There are even a few laughs as Ma tells Benny she was going with her daughters to a "topless" restaurant, only to discover it's a "tapas" place instead; or the moment when Ma discovers what she's eating isn't what she thought it was.
However, the bulk of the play portrays unremitting sadness and frustration with doors closed loudly, phones replaced with a bang, brief outbursts by one or the other - all done overtly and harshly to our eyes, ears, and sensibilities.
Carri Sullens' direction and McCullough's writing are somewhat off-putting, owing to the many, many blackouts needed to create a change of scenery, wardrobe, time period, or
action. There are probably twenty of these blackouts, with the need to go dark to mid-light to bright. Certainly Tom Ormeny on lighting is kept very, very busy throughout the play, raising and lowering all those lights.
The all-around effort is to enable the audience an opportunity to peek in at a family in crisis. That this situation certainly exists in many homes should help us to take pause to realize our blessings. Ms. McCullough attempts to leave us hopeful; whether you agree or not, or find it plausible, is a matter of personal opinion.
Taking Care The Victory Theatre Center 3324 W. Victory Boulevard Burbank, 91505
Tel. 818-841-5422 Tickets: $24-$30; Senior & Student rates available Friday & Saturday @ 8:00 p.m.; Sunday @ 4:00 p.m.
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