Review: MYSTIC FAMILIAR at THE PHOENIX GROUP

MYSTIC FAMILIAR is a new play by the founder of the Phoenix Group, Domenico Leona, and it is running in Houston through Sunday night at the Stinson House. And strangely enough, the entire run is already sold out. By design, the audience is small, tiny even, in a living room, watching actors within inches of each other go through something mystical and emotional. It’s all about intimacy, who we trust, and what we are willing to believe in. It’s Domenico’s first play, and hopefully not his last. He is largely known as a poet, an actor, a producer,  and a director. But now he is adding playwright to his growing resume, and it is exciting to see the birth of that up close and personal. MYSTIC FAMILIAR feels like Woody Allen and David Cronenberg had a lovechild, and it was raised by David Lynch. And for some reason, it feels like it might make a great vehicle for Phoebe Waller-Bridge. 

The setup is a broken man named Jared goes to a mystical advisor called David, and they undergo a ritual that will merge their consciousnesses so Jared can feel less lonely for just a moment. It’s someone trying to help the desperate by getting into their head, and it goes very wrong very quickly. The two men rename themselves Dion and Apollo, and start a session that is half ritual and half therapy session. And as their vulnerability and lack of faith in each other come to the fore, an unexpected cosmic accident swirls around them. It will take a wiser woman and a mysterious figure or two to save them. 

Jared Guidry and Gabriel Mullen work off each other for most of the play as the two men, and their connection truly is ethereal and otherworldly. Jared comes off as a smug spiritual con man, but there’s something about him underneath that gives us a feeling that he has a heart. Gabriel Mullen acts the part of the walking wounded, a man so painfully aware of his own depression that he is not sure where to go but to someone like a questionable spiritual advisor. Yet what they break down is not the spell or the grift, but they connect with each other in the most intimate way imaginable. And the two actors play all of this so achingly real in front of you, as if they themselves are going through a cosmic catharsis. They do a Yin and Yang thing where one is aloof, and the other is desperately needy, and then they throw it down, reverse all of it, and prove themselves as wholly versatile actors. It’s a neat show to watch if only for that, but there is so much more. Gabrielle Auden enters in the second act when they need her most, and she’s wholly convincing as someone who could calm anyone, no matter what freakish thing has just occurred. She is truly magic. Magdalen Vaughn plays two mysterious figures, both unforgettable and chilling. She is beyond magic. 

The script from Domenico Leona is ambitious, and it crams in everything, everywhere, all at once. It’s a brilliant combination of introspection and mysticism, and a wry sense of sardonic humor bubbles up throughout. But if MYSTIC FAMILIAR gets something right, it’s the mapping of man’s mind in his feelings. The discussions between David/Dion and Jared/Apollo are amazingly intimate. We are witnessing something that few playwrights can get to, a character’s core. I did walk away believing in these men, and in these women. And certainly the cast is game enough, but the script delivers this gracefully. It’s an exciting debut, and it makes me want to see more. It also just feels cool and new. I felt like I was watching what could be next in theatre. It surprised me in a couple of ways that I never expected, and to imbalance jaded "seen it all" me is quite a feat. Another thing is that the show believes in people and has a heart of light, much like the author.   

MYSTIC FAMILIAR is only running this weekend, and largely it is sold out. There are standby slots, and I hate that more people will not get to see this. It deserves a large run, but the Stinson House space makes it all so immediate. You will feel lucky if you get through the door. The direction is masterful for the tiny room. Leona knows how to work with lights and video as well, and he has tapped an urban photographer named a.t.t.o.y or Attoy Williams. He has a great cast, a solid script, and an idea of what makes a man. MYSTIC FAMILIAR is a stunning second chapter for the Phoenix Group. And the theme continues, “Self-help gone terribly wrong.” Let’s see what they hit us with next.  

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