Make Believe

Make Believe

Second Stage Theater

Tony Kiser Theater

July 30, 2019

Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater

Bess Wohl’s Make Believe is a gem of brilliance.  She masterfully crafts damaged characters struggling to release the ghosts of their past.  Her writing is truthful and risky.  Each risk she takes is emotionally engaging and delivers a powerful impact.  The Second Stage Theater production is directed by Michael Greif.  His work is both bold and tender as he allows a phenomenal cast of actors to deliver deep and exposed performances.

Young Addie (played by Casey Hilton) is playing with her Cabbage Patch Doll in her attic playroom.  It is the 1980s.  She is joined by her big sister, Kate (played by Maren Heary).  The trouble starts when their older brother, Chris (played by Ryan Foust) returns from soccer practice.  He is irate because his snack is not waiting for him as expected.  Their mother is nowhere to be found.  As the evening progresses, their mother still not present, they play at having dinner as a family.  Young Kate is the stressed-out mother, Young Chris is the condescending father, Young Addie is the needy baby, and their youngest brother, Carl (played by Harrison Fox), is the pet dog.  Days go by in the attic playroom and the children remain unattended.  Their make believe “play” reveals the brutal truths of their family dynamic.

Fast forward about twenty-five years.  The children, now adults, return to the family home for a funeral.  They seek refuge in the attic playroom.  The pain they carried their whole lives is evident in their personalities.  Their strong bond is illustrated in their acceptance of one another.  That’s why it hits them hard when an unexpected and long buried secret is unearthed.

The Cast of Make Believe
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater

The actors playing the young characters are truly remarkable.  They create relationships that are realistic, communicating honest and rich levels of subtext.  The actors playing their adult counterparts beautifully embody the physical and emotional traits set up by the young actors in the early scenes.  Samantha Mathis portrays an apathetic and inflexible Kate.  Susannah Flood plays Addie as insecure and neurotic as expected from her earlier treatment by her older brother and sister.  Brad Heberlee’s portrayal of Carl is moving and heartwarming.  This cast delivers the unexpected in such a natural and comfortable manner that you can’t help being enveloped in the action. 

Director Michael Greif & Playwright Bess Wohl
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater

Make Believe is playing at Second Stage’s Tony Kiser Theater through September 15.  Playwright Bess Wohl delivers numerous thematic tidbits in a play built on a strong and effective armature.  It is a touching, honest, and brutal journey, masterfully written, directed, and performed.  Be sure to see it! 

Domenick Danza