My Mother’s Severed Head

 My Mother’s Severed Head
Theatre Row
September 11, 2021 

Photo courtesy of My Mother's Severed Head

When you see a play entitled My Mother’s Severed Head, the first thought is to get a ticket.  The expectation is that it will be dark, funny, and haunted by guilt.  Playwright Charles Cissel’s play, now running at Theatre Row, meets and exceeds these expectations.  The story line entangles the characters on a journey to unburden their souls, and explodes in a celebration of freedom and reconciliation.

When Robert (played by Giancarlo Herrera) could not get the rights to produce one of Eugene O’Neill’s plays at his Mexican restaurant/theatre, he writes his own version using the characters.  Gabrielle (played by Katelyn Sparks) is the only actor who has not abandoned Robert and his project, but now she has to play the role of a man.  The alcoholic family of Robert’s O’Neil adaptation reflects his relationship with his father, Roberto (played by Luis Alberto Garcia), with one astounding addition.  Robert’s mother (played by Nana Ponceleon) was accidentally decapitated when she stuck her head out of the car window while her husband was driving.  Her severed head now rests on their Day of the Dead altar.  She is not fully dead, and longs to re-connect with her body.  They are not fully alive since they hold onto their unresolved feelings of death.  The pressure builds as the production of Robert’s play and the Day of the Dead celebration quickly approach. 

The chemistry between Giancarlo Herrera and Katelyn Sparks keeps the action of the story moving forward.  They each create characters who are driven by emotional loss and trauma.  Ms. Sparks’ character of Gabriella lost her father when she was ten years old.  She was not told about his death until weeks after it happened.  Mr. Herrera’s character of Roberto retrieved his mother’s severed head after she was decapitated.  These two actors find the core of their characters from these traumatic events, then play every touching moment and over the top laugh with serious intent. 

Luis Alberto Garcia is passionate and exuberant as Roberto, the father.  He is loud, overbearing, and constantly on the run from his emotions.  Nana Ponceleon has impeccable timing as Mother’s Severed Head.  Her presence is strongly felt, especially in her non-speaking scenes.  She pushes the characters together and brings the action of the story to a boisterous and celebratory conclusion. 

Photo courtesy of Theatre Row

Director Richard Caliban heightens the humor and timing, giving Mr. Cissel’s play the sharp and colorful production it deserves.  My Mother’s Severed Head is playing at Theatre Row through October 2.  

Domenick Danza

Abundance

Abundance

by Beth Henley

TACT (The Actors Company Theatre)

The Beckett Theatre / Theatre Row

February 28, 2015

Photo courtesy of TACT

I was very excited when I saw that TACT (The Actors Company Theatre) was doing Beth Henley’s Abundance.  I got a ticket on TDF right away.  I thought it was a new play, then found out that it was commissioned in 1989 by South Coast Repertory, just six years after her acclaimed Crimes of the Heart.  I commend TACT for their program notes with detailed information about Beth Henley and background on the development of this script.  Be sure to read through them when you go to the show.  They gave me a few points of reference and prepared me for the production, which was beyond anything I anticipated. 

The action of the play starts in 1860 and spans twenty-five years.  It is the story of two mail order brides who become friends while waiting for their prospective husbands to meet them.  Their stories are brutal and stark, as they face the wilderness, hunger, and abuse.  They cling to one another as they sacrifice and adapt to their situations.  Act II changes drastically when one of the women is kidnapped and enslaved by a Native American tribe.  The program notes state, “While much of the content in Abundance may seem far-fetched, all of it is based on fact.”  This is one of the reference points I referred to earlier.  Without previous knowledge to this time in history, I would have found this plot point to be contrived.  With this understanding, I was able to allow the second act to unfold.  

Tracey Middendorf, Ted Koch, Kelly McAndrew, and Todd Lawson
in the TACT production of Beth Henley's Abundance      Photo courtesy of TACT

The women turn on each other in Act II when they are reunited.  The level of betrayal between them is in the script, yet not portrayed with the depth that is needed to make it realistic and understandable.  Yes, the circumstances are extremely out of the ordinary, however, the connection of the two actors was not visceral enough to create a realistic and viable second act.  The four main actors, Tracy Middendorf, Kelly McAndrew, Todd Lawson, and Ted Koch, do an amazing job establishing their four distinct characters and creating relationships that are tense and connected in Act I.  The director, Jenn Thompson, seemed to miss the core of the conflict in Act II. 

The set, by Wilson Chin, opens the space up with expansive cloud constructions.  On the central playing area stands a strong, statuesque pole with a pulley that constantly reminds us of the level of rigorous work that is involved in the lives of these characters.  There is a lot of dialogue about the size of the sky and the closeness of the stars at night.  The openness of the design allows the space to be overtaken by this feeling.  Philip Rosenberg’s brilliant lighting illuminates the clouds with color and fills the night sky with those close, reachable stars.

Even though I had trouble with the second act, Abundance is valuable play about a portion of our history we do not regularly see or hear about.  Though I was not emotionally moved by its outcome, it certainly did intrigue me.  It is a well-produced piece with historic significance.  

Domenick Danza