Theater Schmeater's Crooked: Three Women In A Fugue State
Photo by D. Hastings.
It is a gentle story, though strong in thematic content; it's engaging and relatable, it challenges sensibilities; it is a smart, literate, humorous piece of work about two girls whose personalities aren't fully formed yet, and a woman who is, though she sometimes struggles with what that means for her.
Laney (Mariah Caine Ware) is a teenager full of energy, passion and imagination; she is also insecure about her health condition, very stubborn and given to omitting certain truths when it benefits her.
Her mother, Elise (Jená Cane), has been forced to move back to her hometown in Mississippi, and is recovering from her recent divorce (a circumstance Laney feels betrayed by). Elise is the type of mom that insists her daughter's friends call her by her first name, is willing to talk about any topic, no matter how taboo; yet, like most parents, is still unaware enough of Laney's mercurial moods that she will occasionally stumble blindly into offending her daughter.
Finally, there's Maribel (Zoey Cane Belyea), the only kid in town willing to befriend Laney. Though she is chronologically older than Laney, her devout faith and small town naivete makes her seem younger and more impressionable.
The emotional interplay between these three is a real, palpable thing, aided by unforced plotting and naturalistic dialogue (people rarely say exactly what they mean in a clear and concise manner). Feelings are hurt, actions taken, recriminations become apologies and vice versa. Personalities are explored and taken to their extremes; not since Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures have the intense secret lives of teenage girls been given such honest, careful treatment (without the psychological and matricidal damage, natch...spoiler alert).
Credit must be given to Trieschmann for her deft script and director Russ Banham for his attention to emotional detail. This is a simple story, but it is far from simplistic, and a heavy hand could've easily destroyed the fragile alchemy his actresses produce. It is a small pleasure to sit at intermission and not have a single idea where the rest of the evening is going, and then to have those malformed expectations be blown out of the water by the end is a greater pleasure still. Credit must also go to Brendan Mack, whose use of Schmeater's intimate space lends the play's final moments an unmistakable impact.
The evening belongs to the three central performances, however, and Ware, Cane and Cane Belyea deserve singling out for their work in Crooked. Together they turn a humble entertainment into pure delight.
Thurdays through Saturday at 8 p.m. through February 12th // Theater Schmeater 1500 Summit Avenue // $18/$15 Students & Seniors in advance, $22/$18 at the door. Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets
