“Love At Home” at FringeNYC 2014 at the Connelly Theater (Closed on Friday August 22, 2014)
“Love At Home” at FringeNYC 2014 at the Connelly Theater (Closed on Friday August 22, 2014) Written and Directed by Mary Matoula Webb Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
Mary Matoula Webb’s play “Love At Home,” which is part of FringeNYC 2014, deals with the relationship between an LGBT Mormon teenager and her straight sister and parents. The action of the play moves between the present and several flashbacks. As they play begins, Becca (Cat Cabral) is with her father John (Richard Harrison Webb) preparing for the baby shower for her lesbian half-sister Diana (Tygar Hicks). Becca hopes her stepmother Claudia (Denise Hungerford) won’t embarrass her with Mormon homophobic platitudes. Becca’s father is more accepting and liberal – he even likes Leonard Cohen.
The scenes from the past center mostly on Becca’s discovery that Diana is a lesbian and focus on Becca’s struggles to understand her sister’s sexual status. Diana has refused to be baptized and dismisses Mormon teaching as “wisdom and not scripture.” Much of the dialog is stilted and reminiscent of all dramatic literature attempting to deal with the acceptance of the LGBT members of a straight (usually religious) family. There is nothing new here.
Ms. Webb’s direction is cumbersome and some of her staging choices are questionable. As the family prepares for the shower, for example, Becca and her mother keep filling mesh bags with candy and tying them with small cards. When the small basket is full they empty it into a larger basket. Are hundreds of Mormon guests coming to greet a lesbian and her pregnant lover? And why does the father have to sneak cupcakes from the box for the shower? And why is he always eating the candy from the filled bags?
Despite the cast’s attempts, the script falls flat and the core conflicts do not drive interesting plots. “Love At Home” seems like a lecture attempting to be a dramatic work. Of the performances, Tygar Hicks delivers a compelling performance as Diana and creates her character with an endearing honesty and a compelling authenticity. The rest of the performances are uneven and often not believable.
LOVE AT HOME
“Love At Home” is presented by Matoula Productions in Association with The Present Company (Elena K Holy, Producing Artistic Director). Directed by Mary Matoula Webb.
The cast of “Love At Home” includes Cat Cabral, Tygar Hicks, Denise Hungerford, and Richard Harrison Webb.
For performance schedule, ticketing information and more information about the presenting company, please visit www.FringeNYC.org. For mobile ticketing, please visit www.FringeonTheFly.com. The running time is 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, August 23, 2014
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