Hear
here.
by
Michael Dresdner
 |
| Michelle Mary Schaefer, Jeremy Lynch All photos by Dennis K, Photography |
Children
of a Lesser God, which opened last night at Tacoma Little Theatre, is a
powerful, emotionally moving, deeply thoughtful play. The story, which is as
far from a bit of froth as it gets, unfolds on a bare, almost non-existent multi-level
set virtually without props and with only minimal costuming. An exceptional
cast under the direction of Rick Horner brought it vibrantly to life.
Well-larded
with emotion and nuance, the play, via the lead actress, tries to get you to
see an inverted paradigm; a world where your normal is not normal and what you
may call a “disability” is merely a different, and possibly much richer communication
framework.
James
Leeds (Jeremy Lynch) is a newly hired teacher at a school for the deaf. His
mission and passion is to teach deaf students how to read lips and speak aloud rather
than sign. In his view, that opens the world to them, an idea supported by principal
Franklin (Kerry Bringman) and either eagerly or reluctantly by students Orin
(Kai Winchester) and Lydia (Melanie Gladstone). Lydia, enamored with Leeds,
tries to entice him, and he in turn fends off her constant advances.
 |
| Michelle Mary Schaefer, Kerry Bringman |
Meanwhile,
Leeds quickly meets and falls in love with the school’s deaf janitor, Sarah
Norman (Michelle Mary Schaefer), and wants to teach her as well, though she’s
older and not a student. Sarah wants none of it, and is content to use sign
language as her sole and preferred means of “verbal” communication. Leeds even tries
to reach her through her mother (Kristen Moriarty) with whom Sarah has a barely
existent, strained and broken relationship. Nevertheless, by the end of act one
the two are married, but the head-butting is just getting started.
 |
| Jeremy Lynch, Michelle Mary Schaefer |
Throughout
act two she tries to make him see why she is content in her silent world as is,
while he tries to convince her to join his verbal one. Each tries to change the other’s
perception of both what is and what should be. It’s all complicated when a
lawyer (Madonna Hanna) enters the picture representing the rights and desires
of Sarah and Orin to become teachers at a school that traditionally only hires
hearing instructors.
 |
| L to R: Madonna Hanna, Michelle Mary Schaefer, Kai Winchester |
The
conceit is that this all takes place in the mind of James Leeds, and because we
“hear” what he “hears,” everything that is signed is also repeated aloud in
some form. Thus, it is all abundantly clear to the hearing. For those
non-hearing patrons, two screens astride the stage offer up all the spoken
words, though of course, not the signed ones.
The
entire cast was admirable, but most of the heavy lifting is done by Lynch and
Schaefer. He has the vast bulk of the spoken dialogue, covering both what he
says and what she signs. For her part, Schaefer relies on body language,
posture, facial expression, and a beautifully fluid use of her hands during
signing to get her feelings across. While both were exceptional (my reviewing
partner likened Lynch to the late John Ritter), I was most impressed by the
range and delivery that Schaefer brought to her part.
As I
said, the barely there set by Blake York (who, perhaps ironically, also does
the sound design) is merely a set of levels with chairs that are moved as
needed. Costumes by Michele Graves are simple, and props are non-existent to
the point that even pieces of paper are mimed. Hair and makeup is by Jeffery
Weaver, and effectively unobtrusive lighting is by Niclas Olson. All that
combines to keep the focus where it should be – on the acting.
The
playbill also lists a sign language master (Darren Frazier), though it is quite
obvious that the cast was chosen in part for their ability to sign, and a deaf
community liaison (Melanie Gladstone, who also plays the part of Lydia.)
If you
go, and you should, be prepared to stay focused. It requires the full attention
of the audience, since there is so much, both verbal and non-verbal, unfolding
all the time. Put in the effort and you’ll be rewarded with a moving love story
that may challenge your very worldview.
Children
of a Lesser God
Jan 19
to Feb 14, 2018
Tacoma
Little Theatre
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