BWW Reviews: Family Dysfunction Brought to Life in Epic Theatre's ABSALOM

Family dynamics and dysfunction are well-worn territory for writers, artists, singers and all other creative types. Themes that run through family dramas are among the most universal themes a writer can employ. They are the stories that we all experience, instantly recognizable and relatable. In her play Absalom, now being presented by Epic Theatre Company, Zoe Kazan mines these stories and universal human experiences for a tale that is all too familiar, for better or worse.

Like many plays about dysfunctional families, this one involves a family filled with writers. The patriarch, Saul, has written an autobiography, one assured to fill his golden years with money and fame, but equally assured to anger some of his family members. Gathering for a party in his honor in the Berkshires, his children come together and quickly begin to peel back the layers of their relationships. When a prodigal son who hasn't been seen or heard from in years makes a return appearance, even more old secrets are revealed and old wounds are opened.

Perhaps it's that writers like to write about writers or they're writing largely from what they know, but Kazan clearly is coming from a place of personal knowledge and experience. She has a deep understanding of the challenges, difficulties and traumas that come from the writer's life. Beyond that, she has an equally profound understanding of family relationships and what it means to be a father, son, daughter, husband and wife.

Kazan also brings to her script a wonderful ear for dialogue and the way people talk, crafting believable and fluid dialogue. Although the script is a bit dated (with references to Gorbachev and other aspects of life in the 1980's) it is smart and at times very funny, with a great sense of dry wit and humor. A number of dramatic curveballs are thrown at the characters but there are few that the audience doesn't see coming. Still, while the twists and turns might not be particularly surprising, Kazan handles them deftly and brings some real truth to the reactions and interactions between the characters.

Those characters are guided in Epic's production by director Tom Chace. His staging is fine but characters spend an awful lot of time standing way too far apart, not interacting with proximity or closeness. They're also standing or sitting still for long periods of time. More movement and interaction would have felt a lot more natural and organic, rather than feeling like a director told the actor to stand there and stay there till he/she was told to move again. Chace at times doesn't seem to know what to do with his actors, exemplified by one of the more impossible to believe kisses ever staged.

While Chace has assembled a fine cast of actors, it's hard to get past the problem with their ages. In truth, I have absolutely no idea how old these actors are. Still, one of them seems far too young to be playing the role he's in. Another actor seems too old for his part. Because of those two, the age of a third also becomes odd, a best. It all really takes the audience out of the play and makes much of the action hard or impossible to believe.

Age problems aside, the ensemble does a fine job with the roles they're given. Rudy Sanda is just one of the standouts as Adam, the son who has already lived through trauma and now stands to have his darkest secrets revealed by his father's book. Sanda is a charismatic actor who creates a wonderfully nuanced role. While his Adam seems at times to be just another black sheep with a chip on his shoulder, he's got more going on than that, a complexity that is all due to Sanda's excellent work.

Bobby Casey is another standout as Cole, the prodigal son who has returned at long last, largely to settle an old debt. Casey is really wonderful, crafting a character who alternates from creepy and slick to confused and emotionally damaged. Casey is especially deft at delivering all of the script's funniest lines, always with a perfectly straight face and expert delivery.

Lauren Odenwalder offers another superior performance as Julia, the daughter-in-law of the famous family's patriarch. As with any good script, it's all in the subtext and Odenwalder is masterful at giving the audience that hint of subtext, of what is really simmering and boiling beneath the surface and behind her eyes. A talented and charismatic actress, she has wonderful moments with her castmates, especially Sanda, with whom she has a great sexual tension and chemistry.

Another talented and charismatic actress is the always-fabulous Emily Lewis as the patriarch's daughter, Sophia, who is burdened with being the caretaker of her father and the family as she pines for a lost love. Lewis feels a little bit underused here, but if that's the case, it's the fault of the script. Whenever she is on stage or in a scene, Lewis fills it with a real, believable life and a palpable energy.

As the aging patriarch, Saul, Eric Behr also delivers a fine performance. Although it may be a bit of a cliché, he gives the role a believable emotional life. Rounding out the cast, and getting the least to do, is Nathanael Lee as Teddy. Like Odenwalder, who plays his wife, Lee is great at bringing his character's inner struggle to life. Their scenes together are few but they are among the best in the play.

The whole cast, really, works well together, trusting and responding to each other, bouncing off of each other in great ways. They present a picture of a dysfunctional family that raises questions of loyalty, betrayal, trust, life death and love. And while the story may be one we've seen before, it's one that is important, timeless and universal.

Absalom runs through May 17th at Theatre 82, located at 82 Rolfe Square in Cranston, RI. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Ticket are $15 and $12 for studnets and seniors, and can be purchased by calling 401-490-9475 or by visiting www.artists-exchange.org/epictheatrecompany.html

Pictured (L to R): Nathanael Lee, Emily Lewis, Bobby Casey, Eric Behr, Rudy Sanda, Lauren Odenwalder. Photo by Tom Chace.