Review: MALA at Seattle Public Theater

A one-woman show is not easy. A show chronicling the loss of a loved one is even harder. To put the two together is a herculean task. But Melinda Lopez's "Mala", currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, attempts just that. And while at times it comes off as a little overly profound, Lopez and performer Pilar O'Connell manage to engage the audience beyond a simple tale of woe.

When originally performed in 2016, Lopez performed the role herself but now we have local favorite O'Connell taking on the job. In the piece, as the embodiment of Lopez, she talks of the loss of both her parents, first her father and then her mother a short time later. Rather than preach about the correct way to handle this kind of insurmountable moment, she simply conveys the way she handled it, mistakes as well as successes. But through it all she spotlights the utter inevitability we all must face of losing a loved one.

As a writer, sometimes Lopez can tend toward the overly poetic. Plus, she repeatedly insists on breaking the fourth wall and speaking of the structure of the play (or plays in general) and moments in the history where she would jot down something in her phone for use later in this piece. And this is where she loses me. The repeated breaking of that wall and pointing out that she's using this as fodder for her writing kept taking me out of the piece. The cynic in me kept wondering, as she pointed out the careful tailoring of her words, how genuine her words and moments were. Not to say I don't believe her feelings, but it boiled down to "show me the moment, don't tell me how you created it".

But overall, it is a touching piece and O'Connell and director Sophie Franco manage the pacing of it well. There were a few overly self-indulgent moments of silence as they stared off into space, but O'Connell would easily bring us back to the story and guide us along keeping the audience engaged throughout. The frozen tundra of a scenic design from Parmida Ziaei and lighting and projections from Ahren Buhmann went a long way in keeping the moments from becoming too static or staid. And O'Connell managed to connect with the subject and words well, but at times became a bit overly consistent in their cadence.

All told, this kind of piece is problematic, both inherently and for me personally as I am not a fan of someone else's therapy on stage. But Lopez with her humor and heart keep the piece from becoming too maudlin. And I could see from the tears and tissues around the theater that others were quite affected by the play. And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give "Mala" at Seattle Public Theater a "not really for me but still well done" YAY-. This 75-minute show may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those that it is, SPT has quite a lovely production.

"Mala" performs at Seattle Public Theater through February 13th. For tickets or information visit them online at www.seattlepublictheater.org.

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