Review: THE YELLOW WALLPAPER at Write Out Loud proves that sometimes you truly can't trust what you see

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER from Write Out Loud showcases a wonderful performance by Rachel VanWormer as a young woman who is on a restorative holiday that turns from tranquil to traumatic. Based on the classic short story of the same name, this solo performance brings the story vividly to life through December 10th at 10th Avenue Arts.

The show packs a potent psychological punch in just under an hour as Rachel VanWormer, directed by Veronica Murphy, tells the audience through a series of journal entries about her stay in a summer home to improve her health.

The young woman, who is never named, explains that her husband John who is also a doctor is concerned for her as she has developed a nervous disorder after having her baby. His prescription for her recovery is to be totally alone, without stimulation in a top-floor room that used to be a nursery. Due to its size, numerous windows, and the lack of anything that may overexcite her he says it is exactly what she needs to recover her mind. From his male, medical perspective she is hysterical and being irrational as everything is fine.

Her first entry is to describe the room, which she likes with the exception of the yellow wallpaper that she finds vile. Since the room used to be a nursery and then a playroom, she describes the damage to the wall, the places where the paper has been peeled away, and the way the bed is secured to the ground. All of this is fine, but it is the wallpaper that she cannot make peace with while she is there.

From the placement of the panels leading to broken patterns, and geometric elements that abruptly end, the longer she looks at the paper the more she sees. She relates the updates from her husband/doctor that she finds more vexing than helpful, and her focus starts to fray as she becomes more and more consumed with uncovering what is hidden in the paper.

VanWormer is captivating as this genteel lady who takes a dark turn down a path of madness. From the character's first introduction she is pretty and mannered, but the small twitches of her hands or brief quirks of facial expressions show there is something more lurking behind that peaceful if nervous exterior.

The dialogue hints at twists and turns, and she casually makes reasonable-sounding observations that end up having more sinister explanations. VanWormer's commanding presence slowly and steadily reveals anger, and urgency, which adds to the tension and a sense of foreboding. One minute she is sweet and compliant before she slides into a seemingly gentle madness and then in a flash has gone completely feral, climbing the furniture and rattling the bed.

The best part about the performance is that as she is revealed to be an increasingly unreliable narrator the possibilities of what you are watching become numerous. Is she a new mother with a loving husband who believes she will get better? Does she even have a husband and child? As her dialogue starts to reference things both past and present you are left to wonder how much time in this room has really passed.

The only thing that is without a doubt is that the cure has become the affliction.

How To Get Tickets

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER from Write Out Loud is playing through December 10th at 10th Avenue Theatre. It is playing in duet with RIPPLES FROM WALDEN POND from the same theatre company. For ticket and show times please go to writeoutloudsd.com

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