Review: Laughter Amidst the Tears and Fears in MALA

Mala

Written and Performed by Melinda Lopez, Directed by David Dower; Dramaturg, P. Carl; Scenic Designer, Kristine Holmes; Lighting Designer, Scott Pinkney; Projection Designer, Garrett Herzig; Sound Designer, Arshan Gailus; Stage Manager, Lizzy Gordon

Performances through November 20 at ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage, Emerson/Paramount Center, Jackie Liebergott Black Box, 559 Washington Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 617-824-8400 or www.artsemerson.org

Perhaps it is because I am not so far removed from my own experience of shepherding an elderly, failing mother to her final destination that I found myself nodding knowingly on several occasions during Melinda Lopez's performance of her one-woman play Mala, a world premiere production by ArtsEmerson. Ostensibly autobiographical, it is an honest representation of the ups and downs of one woman's journey as she bears witness to that most ordinary, shared human experience, the act of dying. As she tells us, "Nobody teaches you how to do the big stuff," but without being pedantic, she is instructive by simply sharing her experience and acknowledging both its universality and its uniqueness.

As playwright, Cuban-American Lopez incorporates a cultural sensibility and a smattering of Spanish words and phrases, including the title word. She explains that mala means bad, not that you have done something bad, but that you are bad in your core. Even as Lopez has her character, the "good" daughter, sacrifice and put her mother's well-being first, she has to steel herself against her mother's hostility and name-calling when she doesn't like something her daughter does as caretaker. Playing the role, Lopez's interpretation is informed by her personal experience and she is deeply in touch with the mixed emotions that are part and parcel of this bumpy ride. At a post-show talkback, Director David Dower was quick to point out that Mala includes some fictional components, but you would be loath to try to distinguish them from the real bits that are drawn from the actor's life because her performance is entirely authentic.

The full-length monologue is set in the brutal Boston winter of 2015 and takes place less than a year after the death of Lopez's father. Choosing to have her 92-year old, terminally-ill mother live with her places Lopez squarely in the middle of the sandwich generation as she simultaneously cares for her own family (daughter, husband), and juggles her many job responsibilities as playwright, teacher, and actor. In addition, there is a sister who is involved, but not the primary caretaker, and some friends and professionals (played by Lopez) who make brief appearances. She tells the story in a non-linear style, hopscotching around in a stream of consciousness way that mirrors the hectic life of the caretaker who is living it.

There is a large dose of humor mixed with the real-life pathos, conveying the understanding that sometimes you have to laugh to maintain your sanity, and giving us all permission to laugh; what tickles me may not be what makes you laugh, and vice versa, but that's okay. After my mother's stroke, her facial muscles were affected so that you couldn't tell if she was smiling. When she said something funny, it was with a straight face, adding to the humor. When she became totally bedridden, I used to tell her if she could stand up, she could do stand-up (comedy). That kind of banter is allowed in my family, but it might not be okay in yours. We all make it up as we go and may tend to question or doubt ourselves. The point - and one that is driven home by Lopez - is that there is no one way or right way to do this.

If you have not had the experience of caring for a parent or loved one as they decline, Mala and Lopez's performance make for a straightforward, compelling evening of theater. On the other hand, if you are on this journey or have previously traveled the same road, the play is affirming and reassuring. She pulls no punches and makes no apologies for herself or for her mother. What Lopez does is to open her heart and use the intimate details of one family's experience to honestly depict a subject that people don't usually get to see. Mala invites you to look at it and, more importantly, begin to talk about it. This is a conversation that needs to happen in every family.

Photo credit: Paul Marotta (Melinda Lopez)