The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

Refracted Light

More and more, individuals of all ages are recognizing when they finally need some emotional help. They’re not ashamed to seek assistance after being diagnosed with mental health issues. In addition to talking with a therapist, medication is often prescribed for a patient. However, there are sometimes negative side effects that cancel the positive power of the drugs. This is one of the problems that playwright Dana Hall deals with in her new play, now being given a respectable world premiere at Eclectic Full Contact Theatre. But there are other complications within this drama and we soon discover that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Penny Harris (nicely played with adolescent angst by Jamie Lee) is a smart and very creative eighteen-year-old. At the top of the play, Penny’s just received written confirmation that she’s been accepted to a prestigious college. It’s almost too much to believe, but she’s especially excited at the prospect of moving away from home and gaining some freedom. The reason for Penny’s delight soon becomes evident. Not only is Penny being treated for bipolar disorder, her aunt, possibly her dad and most particularly her mother are all in need of some sort of therapy, as well. 

“Cool”Aunt Becky (portrayed realistically by Kim Wilson Buck) is a professional actress who recently has been going through a dry spell, while trying to land a new theatrical gig. Becky has a long history of mental health issues, problems which especially escalate whenever she’s unemployed. While staying temporarily with her sister and brother-in-law, Becky tries to offer her niece some guidance and support. After all, if anyone can identify with what Penny’s experiencing, it’s Becky.  But, like her niece, Becky’s recently decided to go off her meds. When her mood swings suddenly take over, Becky furiously begins cooking breakfast for everyone, or starts hauling all the houseplants into the living room. Ted Harris (played with kindness, but with a manic fervor, by Zach Kunde) is a loving father and a devoted husband. But Ted’s also got his own emotional problems. He seemingly suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which we witness off-and-on throughout the play. But we especially see this when Ted unexpectedly goes berserk and battles an annoying “tree rat.” The squirrel skirmish, which is played for laughs, naturally has a disastrous outcome. 

But from the start, the person most in need of some counseling or medication, and who’s constantly at odds with Penny, is her overprotective, overbearing mother, Lucy. Company Member Jessica Lauren Fisher gives a strong, almost psychopathic portrayal of Lucy Harris. For her character she creates a truly annoying personality that makes it clear to the audience why Penny has problems with her mother. Lucy doesn’t understand that it’s important to choose her battles. She can’t just walk away from a conflict and give Penny the space that the poor kid needs. Instead she picks and picks at an issue until the teenager begins to doubt herself. Then Penny does the only thing she can do: she runs away from home. Eventually the theatergoer begins to understand that Penny isn’t the only member of this family with a mental health condition.  

Fortunately the one character that the theatergoer will find “normal” is Penny’s thoughtful therapist, Doctor Daker. He’s played with eloquence and professional placidity by Charles Schoenherr. His psychiatrist is supportive and caring, without being patronizing. For much of the play, this is the only adult that Penny believes is really listening to her. She discovers that Doctor Daker is kind, smart, objective and worthy of her trust. Mr. Schoenherr brings a much-appreciated sense of calm and caring to the drama.

The play’s title comes from a discussion Penny has with her Aunt Becky, while sitting together at the top of the town water tower. From this height, with its soaring perspective, the teenager observes that her troubles seem to magically disappear. Penny remembers that once, after scaling the structure following a thunderstorm, she was captivated by seeing a rainbow. The teen goes on to explain to Aunt Becky that she knows that the colorful optical phenomenon is actually the result of light being refracted through the water droplets. But Penny is also able to romanticize the beauty of the rainbow and equate it with her health issues and how the medication affects her mood and ability to write. The refracted light also becomes a metaphor for Penny’s passion for her own creativity.

Generally speaking, there are problems in Dana Hall’s script. It’s too long and very repetitive; a one-act might’ve been more effective. See and hearing over two hours of the same points being incessantly driven home has a numbing effect for an audience. Lucy’s oppressive mothering skills certainly cause the audience to empathize with Penny. And she does the same thing to her sister, Becky, and even to her amiable husband, Ted. They’re all powerless against Lucy’s bossiness and moods. To be fair, Ms. Fisher does try to soften Lucy a bit, tempering her character’s bossy behavior so that she doesn’t come off as the villain. But the way that Hall has written this character, Ms. Fisher can only do so much to make Lucy remotely likable. We simply tire of the constant combat between Lucy and everyone else in the play.

The other problem is some of the direction by Natividad Salgado. Ms. Salgado’s resume is long on experience, including many awards and accolades for a variety of work. But with REFRACTED LIGHT, it seems as if she’s allowed her actors, particularly Fisher and Kunde, to cast restraint to the wind. The play becomes too presentational. The effect is that Penny’s mother and father are “acting,” rather than honestly speaking to each other and reacting to what’s said or being done. Also, there are too many silences that make some scenes feel interminable. A pause used judiciously will point up what a character says next. But if there are too many pauses, it simply makes the scene drag. 

Cassie McKnight’s Scenic Design is really quite attractive. The Oak Park, IL living room and dining area fills the entire stage. It’s tastefully decorated with knickknacks, blue draperies and tiny stained glass windows. The room’s furnished with a nice sofa, coffee table and chair. But there’s one large blue winged chair down center in an unfortunate position. It often blocks the audience’s view of characters or action occurring near the staircase. If the smaller chair, stage right, was traded with the larger chair, center, it would fix the problem. It would also speed up the beginning and ending of the therapy scenes if Mr. Schoenherr didn’t have to take time to reposition the furniture.

Dana Halls’s REFRACTED LIGHT has an interesting premise. Her play tells an important story that illustrates how a person coping with emotional and mental issues can learn to successfully deal with them and live healthy, productive lives. Ms. Hall’s created five interesting characters, each with his or her own set of quirks and challenges. But by presenting the same thematic issues over and over again, the play begins to lose its impact. And personally, the scene with all the handbags drove me nuts with all the melodramatic carrying on. But more to the point, the audience eventually becomes weary of all the repetition. However, from this drama, theatergoers do begin to understand the old adage that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.                   

Somewhat Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented August 29-September 27 by Eclectic Full Contact Theatre at the Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway Street, Chicago.

Tickets are available at the door or by going to tinyurl.com/EFCTRefracted.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.