[NEohioPAL] Berko review: GRIZZLY MAMA @ Dobama

[Roy Berko]

GRIZZLY MAMA at
Dobama, truth may be stranger than fiction 
 
Roy Berko
 
(Member,
American Theatre Critics Association)
 
--THE TIMES
NEWSPAPERS--
 
Lorain County
Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times            
 
--coolcleveland.com—
 
In George
Brant’s GRIZZLY MAMA, now on stage at Dobama Theatre, the fictional Deb
Marshall moves into the house next to Patty Turnback, an Alaskan Tea Party
leader (think Sarah Palin) in order to destroy her.  Deb is the daughter of the titular leader of the 20th century women’s movement (think Gloria Steinem) who has supposedly pledged, on
her mother’s death bed, to get rid of the ultra-right Turnback.  Turnback (note the “clever” play on
words) has moved the women’s movement back into the dark ages, the days-of-old
when women were homemakers and protected their young against wild animals
(liberals).  Yes, Grizzly Mamas. 
 
Think the
idea is preposterous?   Well,
think again.  On September 20, a
new book about Palin will be released by author Joe McGinniss.  McGinnis has been studying Palin for
three years.  He even moved next
door to her home to dig up dirt.  His
purpose?  To destroy her by killing
the lady’s reputation.  So, truth
can be stranger than fiction.  
 
On the surface, Brant’s
play seems like a farcical, overstated, unbelievable dark comedy of spiteful
revenge.  It rolls out as a script
about murder,
motherhood,  moose and a bunny
rabbit.  A little mental digging reveals a study of the
relationships between mothers and daughters and how they bond, conflict, love
and betray each other.
 
Brants’ character’s
are overdone.  Deb is written as a
divorced out-of-control suburban mom who reimagines herself as a righteous
liberal avenger.  Her motivations
and actions seem unrealistic.  Her
daughter, Hannah, is an overdrawn self-centered texting teenager who gets
wrapped up in the hunt when she becomes friends with the Grizzly Mama’s
daughter.  A daughter with a major
problem, especially for the daughter of a religious ultra-conservative.  
 
The script was
commissioned by Dobama to compliment the political atmosphere in which we find
ourselves and is about to explode even larger.   It is filled with many clever lines and ideas.  Daughter Hannah, for example, explains
that she is going to a high school where she is taking an AP (advanced
placement) course in Intelligent Design and is writing a required paper on
Jesus and the Dinosaurs.  Deb goes
to a local gun store, where she is sold an Uzi-type gun and gets a free handgun
thrown in. In order to stop her daughter from texting, Deb nukes the girl’s
cell phone in the microwave, but Hannah’s fingers just keep texting away, even
without the phone, assuming that the messages will get to her friends back home
by cosmic energy.  And, Laurel,
Turnback’s daughter, complains because her chastity ring has gotten too tight
for her finger due to her unwed pregnancy.
 
On the other
hand, the characters don’t ring true, the lines are often forced, there are so
many text message references that, as one member of the audience whispered, “If
I hear one more omg, lol, or wuzup, I’m going on stage and strangle
someone.  (The program has a page
listening texting terminology for those who are interested.)  The logical bridges between scenes
aren’t always clearly developed.  One must wonder whether the author is aiming at high comedy, farce, or
has some really strong message which gets lost because of the lack of a clear
rudder.
 
There are some
excellent performances.  Erin Scerbak
develops a clear Laurel.  She is
believable in being conflicted and vulnerable.  She often develops meaning beyond what her lines say.  Caitlin Lewins (Hannah) plays teenage
angst and hysteria with ease.  Heather Anderson Boll has some problems developing  a consistent character as Deb, but much
of that appears to be the lines she is given, not her acting.  
 
Laura
Kepley’s direction is generally on-target, but there are some lag times in the
pacing.
 
Jill Davis’s
log cabin house design gives the right feel and leaves lots of room for the
characters to move with ease.  Sound designer Richard Ingraham’s use of “I Am Woman” as background and
scene change music, is a stroke of genius.
 
CAPSULE
JUDGEMENT:   GRIZZLY MAMA is
not well written, but there is enough humor and nice acting to make it a
pleasant evening of theatre that could incite some interesting going home discussions.
 
GRIZZLY MAMA runs
through October 2 at Dobama.  Call
216-932-3396 for tickets.
 
Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2011, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info.  His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and www.NeOHIOpal
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