Mud by Maria Irene Fornes

*This review first appeared in the LA Weekly* There’s a certain fragility mixed with permanence in Maria Irene Fornes’ melancholy tragedy Mud, and the characters seem to exist beyond the performance that unfolds before us. In seventeen short (sometimes brutally short) scenes, Fornes depicts a squabbling couple, Lloyd (Riley Smith) and Mae (Annie Hamilton), who seem stuck in some kind of rural poverty. While Lloyd appears slightly mentally retarded, Mae is merely illiterate and wants to better herself and get out. Her romance with unsympathetic local fellow Henry (A.J. Helfet) sparks jealousy from Lloyd. But then the worm turns… Director Shaya Mulcahy’s slightly stylized approach has the cast members remaining in character during the dim “bla... full review

This young company is definitely going for a certain aesthetic with their work. The staging, lighting and transitions are all stylized in a way that elicits a general feeling of unease with a touch of bizarre, sideshow-esque flair. The actors, however, seemed slightly disconnected at times. I could not tell whether this was a result of them missing moments, or whether the slight feeling of aloofness or being somewhat emotionally removed was a directorial choice. Having seen this play once before, I confess that while this production seems to have gotten it mostly right, my main issues are with the play itself. It's a tragicomedy, but an especially bizarre one at that. When the very first exchange of dialogue contains talk of violent rape and... full review