“The God Box, A Daughter’s Story” at 59E59 Theater C (Closed July 23, 2014)
“The God Box, A Daughter’s Story” at 59E59 Theater C (Closed July 23, 2014) Written by Mary Lou Quinlan and Martha Wollner Directed by Martha Wollner Performed by Mary Lou Quinlan Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
Not all good books – not even best-selling books – translate well to the stage. Sometimes when readers lose the opportunity to “see” the storyline in their mind’s eye, they connect less to the characters and their conflicts. Mary Lou Quinlan’s touching story of her mother’s “God Box” is a loving tribute of a daughter to her mother that most likely reads better than it plays out in a theatre.
The script for “The God Box” is co-written with director Martha Wollner (LAByrinth Theatre) and is a strong and endearing piece of writing. However, as performed by Mary Lou Quinlan, the script becomes too personal and too introspective. Despite Chris Kateff’s splendid projections, it is difficult to get a sense of who Ms. Quinlan’s mother was and how her life and dying can provide opportunities for understanding, accepting, and processing death and dying as a form of healing. Did Mary Lou’s mother simply “let go and let God” all of her life? Did putting something in one of her many “God Boxes” mean she ceased to be proactive? What is it that Ms. Quinlan wants the audience to learn from her story?
As it stands, the story seems to celebrate faith mixed with magical thinking stirred with deep affection and love. Perhaps that is not a bad recipe for a diet of coping with a bereavement that eventuates in the healthy acceptance of the death of a loved one.
It would be interesting fir Mary Lou Quinlan to hold auditions for an actor who can relate her compelling daughter’s story with the distance needed to make it more accessible to the audience and to allow them to connect to their own processes of bereavement and their own methods of understanding how faith intersects with living and dying.
THE GOD BOX, A DAUGHTER’S STORY
“The God Box, A Daughter’s Story” is presented by Just Ask A Woman as part of the 2014 East to Edinburgh Festival at 59E59 Theaters.
The creative team of “The God Box, A Daughter’s Story” includes Justin Townsend (production consultant), Kia Rogers (lighting design), Betsy Rhodes (sound design), and Chris Kateff (projection design).
East to Edinburgh began on Tuesday, July 8 for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 27. The performance schedule varies. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets to each EAST TO EDINBURGH show range from $15 - $20 ($10.50 -$14 for 59E59 Members). Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org. Performances of “The God Box, A Daughter’s Story” closed on Wednesday July 23, 2014 at 6:30 p.m.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, July 25, 2014
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