PSYCHOMACHIA

a new play by Jennifer Lane

directed by Robin A. Paterson

With Frank Deal, Arthur French, Kyle Groff, John Calvin Kelly,

Cynthia Mace & Jennifer Laine Williams

Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios

244 West 54th Street,

12th Floor

New York, NY

Psychomachia by Jennifer Lane was an amazingly powerful play targeting rather somber or difficult subject matter with humor and wit that was simply admirable. The acting was excellent. Each emotion was clearly communicated, the drama was effective, the comedic aspects were funny and the sad moments were exactly that. The actors did a wonderful job at personalizing each of the characters, they brought themselves into the performances and it payed off well. The vulnerability required for the successful conveyance of the moods and acute emotional cues was present throughout the play. Although not a Broadway production, the performance was comparable to some of most wonderful staged gems. Jennifer Lane deserves praise and notice of her writing talents.

The plot of the play consists of a young woman sorting through the mental and emotion wreckage remaining after the fairly recent suicide of her twin brother while attempting to distance herself from her unraveling family. Johnny (Kyle Groff) and Lydia (Ashlie Atkinson) were twins and best friends, until Johnny took his own life and left his sister alone and in emotional agony. In her attempt to understand Johnny's motive she obsessively buries herself into his journals and notes not realizing that she is becoming seduced by the idea of suicide herself. Yet the loss of Jonny is not experienced by Lydia alone. Charlotte (Jennifer Laine Williams) is Jonny's and Lydia's sibling who is trying to find her identity in her crumbling family. She experiences alarming emotional distress after the death of her brother that is not evident at first, but eventually it unravels into a problem the entire family will have to face. Her suicidal attempt serves as a deciding factor for Lydia to keep living and truly part from her brother and his actions.

Edward (Frank Deal) and Margaret (Cynthia Mace), the parents of Johnny, Lydia and Charlotte are experiencing severe problems in their marriage. The death of their only son, also Margaret's favorite child, is causing the couple to divorce since the emotional pain and the physical resemblance Johnny bears to his father is causing a major issue for Margaret. Ezra (John Calvin Kelly) is Lydia's boyfriend who is trying to keep himself available to her for emotional support as she attempts to push him away. Ezra played the part very realistically and his care for her was transmitted to the audience effectively. Telsey (Arthur French) plays the therapist who Johnny was seeing before the incident who was also a close family friend after the suicide happens.

Ashlie Atkinson is an amazing performer. Her strength in acting is being mindful of her character during the performance. She is able to properly push the buttons of the audience while demanding that correct emotions be experienced and triggered by her delivery. In the play, Ashlie had a difficult moment where she had to show the pain and turmoil she was experiencing after realizing that her life will have to continue without her brother, despite her own thoughts of joining him. Ashlie had to cry. She did not accomplish this by attempting lady like sobbing and gently wiped her tears so that she remain looking flawless and serene. She wept in a dirty, messy, emotionally wrecking kind of way that can only be a powerful outlet of conflict. She wept for real.

Jennifer Lane Williams gave a great performance. She conveyed the loneliness and the pain of the character efficiently and believably. Her weak attempts to reach out to her sister during such a difficult time were played with the delicate somber that seems to be appropriate for the character and was impressive during the heavy and emotional scenes. Cynthia Mace was incredible as the egocentric, alcoholic mother and wife. She was witty, funny, emotional and flawless in her delivery. A charismatic actress, she created an amazing fusion of an eccentric depressed mother and a funny, charming woman who hides behind humor and liquor while dealing with a tragedy. Frank Deal was great as the strong, sympathetic and truly devastated father dealing with not only the death his son but also with a divorce and the emotional breakdown of Charlotte.

The set was simple but elegant. A broad stage room was cleverly divided into Lydia's room and the living room at the parents house. Although briefly the rooms were converted to other settings, the two rooms were featured most frequently. The space was used very efficiently. The decor was modern and tastefully created with deep dark colors and patterns for Lydia's room and a bleak orange beige for the parents house. The acting predominately engaged the audience but it was pleasant to look around and absorb the ambiance.

The play targets a subject matter even more elaborate than the suicide of a family member. Johnny suffered from depression or mental illness during his lifetime. He went to therapy but the play demonstrates that although a person received help in this situation it did not help save his life. The emotional distress experienced by Charlotte of not being able to connect to her family during this difficult time she was facing caused her to try suicide, she did not get mental help, it may have helped avoid the attempt on her own life. The stressful situation of the parents clearly shows that although the love between them was still present the circumstances were enough to drive them apart. The play and the performance has many layers that can be interpreted by the audience.

Psychomachia was a wonderful work featuring prolific actors. The humor, sadness and the realness of the plot was deep and intensely powerful. The elements blended together flawlessly. The actors converted proper but complex emotions encompassing all emotions of humanity. The symbology and mysticism references were clever and unique. Overall this was a very impressive performance.