What I liked
Everything!
What I didn't like
More shows!
My overall impression
Refuge is a surprisingly joyous play despite the heart aching premise. Probably because the play isn’t about the pandemic playwright Mary Frances Noser somehow knew was coming. This is not a play about a single one of our greatest fears. It is all of them. For those who have deeply loved a sibling or anyone who make us feel like a piece of our hearts are living outside our chests. For people stuck being afraid of the outsider. Distrusting change. Scared of being alone.
But more than anything this a story of love and the integral need to take care, to survive, that is at the core of all of us. Love is more important than fear even though we watch as one side of the coin amplifies the other. It is fascinating to watch as these twins discover the divergence in the ways they’ve internalized the loss of their mother and her message of service and compassion. Relevant, especially in a world that still requires action from those raised as male and asks selflessness of those raised as female. We see this most obviously represented through the protective gear. As infuriating as it feels to watch the protagonist ask her brother for something she herself cannot seem to do I can’t help but love her for it. When Myra puts the mask on to finally focus that protective love on herself it is the perfectly hopeful ending our bodies crave after and hour and a half of leaning forward in the seats surrounding the stage. I can really feel the empowered choices of director, Aria Sergany.
Best of all though are the performances though. The magnetic quality of live theater is perfectly held in this immersive space. The genuine love between every character produces an ever growing love in the audience. Kellon, played by Dallis Seeker, has the warm, charismatic, dreamy natural born leadership that it would be hard not to follow into battle. Jack Nixon leaves no room for doubt as to how Danny is able to not only charm his way into Myra’s heart but earn the same level of protection she reserves for the familiar bond with his earnest, connected presence. And grounded in the center of this chaotic, joyful, painful, human story is Mary Frances Noser. A powerhouse of feeling and perspective. A triumph in everything she sets out to do.
