MM Theater Blog

Well, well, well. Probably the best way to describe Lisa Kron's Well is as a theatrical experience, unlike any other. It begins as an autobiographical work -- vignettes from Lisa's life, punctuated by Lisa's monologues which border on stand-up comedy. Then chaos ensues and things slowly deteriorate as Lisa's mother keeps butting in with her own commentary, a character who wasn't written into the play keeps popping up out of nowhere and derailing the action, and the actors themselves take matters into their own hands.

[More:]

All of that sounds hilarious. And there are many moments that are very funny indeed. However, it just doesn't all come together into anything cohesive. In fact, it all comes apart. And actually, the deconstruction is the best thing about the whole experience.

The work was originally performed on Broadway where it received 2 Tony Award nominations, with Lisa Kron playing herself. Ms. Kron is a performance artist, and as such, this piece must have been extremely entertaining. The problem here is that this a play, with an actress portraying a performance artist who is performing a piece about her own life. And it just doesn't work. Though Emily Ackerman is very talented and does a credible job portraying Lisa, there is still something lost in the translation.

We are told repeatedly that this is "a multicultural theatrical exploration of issues of health and illness both in the individual and in the community". In addition to the health and illness theme, there are also the themes of racial integration and mother-daughter relationships. So when the play is over, we are left asking the question, "what was the playwright trying to say?" In the end however, the complicated mother-daughter relationship seems to dominate all else, as Lisa's "play" is constantly being overtaken by her mother.

Nancy Robinette is absolutely delightful as Ann Kron, whose living room has somehow been transported to occupy a corner of the stage. From offering drinks to the audience to urging Lisa to tell certain stories, she is the perfect embodiment of all mothers.

Kyle Donnelly, who has directed many productions at Arena Stage, and was Associate Artistic Director from 1992-1998, has done a very capable job adapting this work to a theater in the round. The other actors are lively and fun in their various roles (including themselves). Other than Ann Kron's living room, most of the set is bare, except for the paper floor that gets torn to shreds, along with the rest of the play.

I wanted to love this play. It's innovative and fun, with a quirky sensibility. But it's lacking in substance. I guess I'll have to settle for loving parts of it. Oh well.

MM Rating - * * * 1/2