William Hazlett wrote in his famous essay, “On Actors and Acting,” that they are “the motley representatives of human nature…Their life is a voluntary dream; a studied madness.†This is proven clearly by Ms. Carol Kane at Cherry Lane’s Theater in a staged reading of Shirley Lauro’s play “Pearls of the Harvest Moon,” directed by Judith Ivey. A good production comes from a great play, a clear director, and inspired performances. This reading had all of those elements, especially in the ethereal interpretation by Ms. Kane.
“Tongues” is a worthy program at Cherry Lane, offering playwrights an opportunity to see their material read by consummate professionals in the industry and brought before an audience, where in their belief is “where the playwright learns the most.†Ms. Lauro was the fortune one in having Judith Ivey’s vision and Ms. Kane’s free spirit as an actress. The play is set in the Mid-West, at the nursing home where the young daughter, now a New York poet, is coming home to care for her mother suffering from dementia. She is also coming home to face the guilt that haunts her. She is living the life her mother dreamed of, but gave up to be wife and mother. Now she has come back to see the shell of a woman that her mother has become, lost in her delusions and fantasies. As we see their relationship unfold and their stories of survival are revealed, we learn that the artist must accept their ghosts as muses with joy and love, not guilt and anger. The play moves in an emotional tempo in rhythm with Ms. Kane’s beautiful chaos and takes us into her world, where we want desperately by the hand and save her from herself.
Ms. Ivey shows her true talent as a director by trusting her actors in their choices. She gave Ms. Kane and the other actors the freedom to move and grow with their roles. Even just sitting in their chairs, Ms. Kane had an energy and a fire. Ms. Kane was a frumpy, wrinkled, barefooted mess. As she danced us frenetically into her magical fantasy journey of her past hopes of tomorrow for her daughter and herself- the dream to be artists in New York, together, we as the audience, wanted to help her realize that dream.
Ms. Kane’s script became pieces on the floor, as she tore it apart like her heart was torn apart by her despair. There was a violent tenderness and wild fragility to her interpretation of this lost soul. Our heart broke with her daughter’s as she watched her mother break into more pieces. Tracee Chimo’s stoic, yet desperate performance contrasted Ms. Kane’s abandonment, further mirroring how daughters try to live for their mothers to protect themselves against being like them- a universal truth that Ms. Lauro was surely going for and which Ms. Ivey gently encouraged in her players. The mother’s caregiver, played solidly by Caitlin O’Connell, offered a realistic balance between the two women. She was the calm voice of reason in their place of broken hearts. The play ended with Chimo back in New York with her agent, successful, and realizing that her mother’s frailties are in fact the root of her own strength and power as a woman and an artist. From these two women, we learn that we cannot run away from ourselves and our roots. Our ghosts can whisper the truth that sets us free to who we really are.
Hazlett also wrote that “the height [of and actor’s] ambition is to be beside themselves.†Ms. Kane truly was beside herself as she drew us into her revelry to show us how fragile we all are. Ms. Lauro shares with us a very honest, personal story of a grown daughter and an aging mother; Ms. Ivey set her actors loose to explore those relationships, and Ms. Kane and her fellow players all inspired us as an audience to see the hearts and souls of those characters- all those elements that make a performance great. Hopefully, audiences will get that opportunity to see this lovely piece again soon.
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