My overall impression
Home Free! at The Complex Theatres
by Melanie Keller~
In Lanford Wilson’s debut play, Home Free!, siblings Joanna and Lawrence are in a state of arrested development while the real world they are incapable of dealing with looms outside of their door, and inside of Joanna’s belly. Fishface Productions version captures most of the intricacies of Wilson’s unique one act, being at once bizarre and captivating, unnerving and fun. Morgan Michaels is whimsy as Joanna, who incessantly taunts Lawrence (sharp and aptly played by Ryan Lahetta) with her encounters of life outside of their apartment that Lawrence’s extreme agoraphobia prevents him from experiencing. In a story that doesn’t have much action, the actors kept the pacing with their natural, energetic, and playful banter. Joanna’s pregnant belly caused by Lawrence, their imaginary friends whom they persistently address, and the ritualistic, childish games they play depict adults who, from either past trauma or ignorance, are confined to a world of their own creation, rules and limitations.
The vintage jingles of the pre-show music were upbeat yet slightly jarring and helped to establish the tone of these adults stuck in a literal child’s playroom. Although the set design was indicative of this, a few times the actors seemed cramped with a relatively large table in the center of the small stage.
Directed by Lois Weiss.
Home Free! plays June 21@ 7:30, June 22@ 6:00, June 23@ 8:30
