"My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow" at 59E59 Theater C
“My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow” Written by Erin Leddy Directed by Jonathan Walters Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Somewhere between so-called sanity and the demon dementia lies a mental meadow where a stream of consciousness generates affirmations and queries that attempt to make sense of birth, aging, death, and what might exist beyond.
Affirmations (when lucidity reigns) like “I know what tomorrow brings and it won’t be pretty and it won’t be easy.” And queries (when dementia creeps up) like, “I used to sit on the edge of the bed with a stocking and say, how do you put this on?”
Erin Leddy brings these affirmations and queries to life in her “My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow” a solo performance based on recordings of her grandmother with whom she lived in 2001. These recorded memoirs, though terribly personal, powerfully elicit responses from audience members who connect with the emotional power of Ms. Leddy’s tandem performance with the recorded words of her grandmother Sarah.
Leddy teases the audience at the beginning of her performance with a bittersweet song about humanity being “drops in the ocean, boundless as the sea.” However, any thought that this might be just another sentimental romp through family history is excised when Sarah’s words boom from the box situated at the up stage right corner of 59E59’s Theater C. Sarah’s thoughts about forgetfulness counterpoint Erin’s in a haunting scene:
“Forgetfulness … The name of the author is the first to go followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of. Long ago you kissed the names of the muses goodbye and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag, and even now as you memorize the order of the planets, something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps, the address of an uncle, the capital of Uruguay.”
Audience members leaned forward in their seats during this scene, not only because of the skill with which it unfolded, but also because each person was connecting to those “has anyone seen my keys” moments when we “have [those] total blanks of people that [we] know so well.” The brilliance of this performance is in its universality, its ability to counterpoint with every fear, every worry that we just might be “at the end of our road.”
Erin’s decision to surround herself with an extensive creative team has paid off. Far too many “solo artists” try to do it all: write, perform, direct, choreograph, etc. and the results are mediocre and missing the mark of magic. Here, in “My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow,” there is nothing but magic.
Perhaps the most magical moment comes when Sarah recites Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Renascence.” Erin allows the audience to “see” this performance from not only the audience but from upstage. I will not tell you how that happens and encourage you to do all you can to see how for yourself. During the recitation of the poem, the audience understands fully what Sarah has been attempting to share: “I saw and heard, and knew at last the How and Why of all things past.” There will be a time, perhaps, when our memories are all that’s left.
The line between reality and all that does not constitute reality is fragile, thin, and ephemeral at times. In those moments when we still know how (figuratively) to put our stockings on, we need to share our stories from “our trunks of memories” and learn to cherish the moments we have together “before we must part ways.” Erin and Sarah teach us much about that line and what lies on either side. They do it in ways that at times approach perfection.
MY MIND IS LIKE AN OPEN MEADOW
The cast features Erin Leddy and Sarah Braveman.
Presented by Hand2Mouth Theatre, “My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow” is directed by Jonathan Walters. The design team includes Christopher Kuhl (set and lighting design), Anna Cohen (costume design), and Casi Pacilio (sound design). The choreographer is Jane Paik. Original music composed by Ash Black Bufflo (Knitting Factory Records).
The performance schedule through Sunday August 19 is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
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