WORLD PREMIERE OF THE
BRILLIANT NEW PLAY BY LAUREN YEE. IN A WORD AT THE SF PLAYHOUSE
San Francisco Playhouse SandBox Series at the Tides Stage on Sutter st., continues its sixth season of new plays with the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of Lauren Yee’s “in a word”. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, this drama explores the loss of a child. - ‘in a word’ is my attempt to theatricalize that feeling you get when you're missing something, or something lurking on the edges of your periphery” says playwright Lauren Yee.
I keep trying to correct the way Yee writes (in a word) with no caps or “ “ , but just the way the title suggests this play mines words and phrases. A word craft of holes in words, thoughts and memories. Yee is a brilliant new writer, her other work includes “Ching Chong Chinaman”, a hit at the Impact Theatre. Later this spring her new play “Hookman” opens at the at Zspace.
This 70 min one act, Yee brings a family torn dealing with their missing child. The wordplay she creates for this piece is so absorbing that its easy to see her missing son could be part of the wordplay we hear in the script. One of the main word mines in the story “leave of absence” comes of “leaf”. A word puzzle for sure as you can see with Catalina Nino s perfect set design with refrigerator words posted all over the set and toys scattered.
The cast is excellent, Jessica Bates plays the mom Fiona, neurotic and still suffering from this loss. Cassidy Brown, plays her husband Guy, who tries to keep his wife grounded. Just an attempt to celebrate Fiona’s birthday that happens to be the same day her 8 year old son goes missing. Tristan is played by the talented Greg Ayers, who wears many hats in this story. Greg also plays the miss-directed detective and Tristans principal. In the wordplay of this mystery, Greg also stands-in for the possible stranger who took the boy.
Director Giovanna Sardelli, keeps her actors moving on stage and works well with Yee’s mystery of the missing boy. The mood she created in the small Tides black box theatre is extremely visual.
Yee is clearly a playwright who is looming in current theatre here in San Francisco and around the country. ‘in a word’ is excellent and will open your whims to understanding the sounds and rhythms to lost words and the space between those words a place to hide.
‘in a word’ runs through April 25th at the Tides Theatre.
In a Word: By Lauren Yee. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli.
Through April 25. $20.
San Francisco Playhouse, Tides Theater,
533 Sutter St., S.F. 70 minutes.
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