circle mirror transformation

Last year I decided I wasn’t qualified to give my opinion on live theater so, although I continued (and continue) to see stuff, I pretty much have kept my thoughts to myself herein. Also, I found myself being pretty hard on shows that didn’t deserve my wrath, my negative attitude and/or my disappointment regarding the quality of the endeavor(s) in question.

However, I just saw a production of a new play called circle mirror transformation and I’m happy to report I loved every minute of it. My only caveat is that lower case title but, hey (and again), who am I to disagree with a playwright’s decision on what his or her work is titled. In this case the playwright is Annie Baker and I’m now loving her madly. Her lovely play floated my boat on many levels; not only the writing but the spaces in between; by that I mean the pauses are as meaningful as the dialogue. The direction by Sam Gold is impeccable and the actors live up to audience expectations in spades. Of the cast of five the standouts for me were Peter Friedman and Heidi Schreck but the other three; Reed Birney, Tracee Chimo and Deirdre O’Connell are equally impressive; it’s just that the characters played by Friedman and Schreck resonated with me more personally. They are all wonderful.

The background of the plot is minimal; being an amateur adult acting class held at a small arts center in a tiny town in Vermont. The plot becomes universal as the characters reveal themselves obliquely in a series of “exercises” that anybody involved with ensemble stage craft will recognize. I was enthralled and I hope this play makes it onto the stage of every small theater in the land. I also hope Mr. Gold is prepared to do a lot of traveling to mount similar productions; he is obviously the perfect choice to direct this almost perfect piece. It’s a gem and every facet needs to be delved into by a variety of actors and actresses who can do it justice. My only advice to one and all: cherish the silences, and let the theater games begin!