Review: MY DEAR DEBBIE at New Generation Theatrical

When it comes to theater, seeing an original work is always a gamble.  Yes, I know that many popular pieces of theater started as original works, but this does not mean I personally want to invest my time in it.  

My Dear Debbie is an original concept, written and directed by Casey Tregeagle.  When I received their promotional material with the synopsis, as well as some pretty heavy content warnings, I was intrigued.  The premise is essentially a taping of a 1950’s “I Love Lucy”esque sitcom called “My Dear Debbie”.  It promised a live, interactive studio audience but also came with the following content warning:  Please be advised that this piece has themes of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and child sexual abuse, as well as violence and mature language and content.  I was very curious as to how a show promising something resembling a 1950’s sitcom with a warning like that could be cohesive.  

It is hard to explain the structure and plot of the show without also including a lot of spoilers.  At first, I thought it was a play on time with traveling from the past to the present but after watching the show in its entirety, the past is more of a vessel than a plot point.  

The show is beautifully acted. The cast was made up of 8 actors, some of which had multiple functions.  The cast is as follows: Debbie (Taylor Byerly), Imogene/MC (Hannah McGinley Lemasters), Bev (Beth-Ann Stripling), Gene (Eric Sharp), Tommy (Michael Knight), Waiter (Alexander Mrazek). Mrs. Lambert (Carly Clark-Skubick) and Man (River Banks).  The content is very heavy but does have many lighthearted and comedic moments.  As someone around me put it, “It’s a comedy…unitl it’s not”. Most of the cast had to be both comedic and solemn and those who did both had a great juxtaposition; a testament to the abilities of those who had to do it. I did find it kind of predictable just by putting pieces together from the little information I initially had, and there were a few things (mostly thematic) that surprised me, but it is ultimately a commentary about childhood trauma and the lengths that mothers go through to protect their children.  

New Generation Theatrical has a space in the now mostly defunct Fashion Square Mall.  Instead of traditional theater seating, audience members are seated at small cocktail tables, four to a table; (I went by myself so I was seated with three people I didn’t know). The tables are strategically placed in the space.  Their stage for this show was made up of two different platforms on either side of the space, and a table in the center of the audience.  The audience could see all of the action, no matter where they were seated or where the actors were.  Wings (and possibly dressing rooms) were created mostly from what appeared to be pipe and drape.  They had several lighting rigs throughout the space too; they did not use the house lights of whatever the converted mall space had.