Playwright Mark Kemble's mostly overwrought and overwritten melodrama about a star-crossed Irish-American family is partly redeemed by an exquisite cast and outstanding direction by Salome Jens. But even this stellar group of performers and a gifted, experienced director do not rescue Kemble's play from long stretches of tedious, confessional misery.
The premise of the story is a minefield of melodrama, but the playwright plunges fearlessly, if somewhat recklessly, ahead. Inspired by growing up with a retarded sister, Kemble explores the trials of the Kendall family, who have been the victims of dual tragedies. First is the plight of their young-adult daughter, Phoebe (Iris Gilad), who is mentally disabled and requires almost constant attention. In the meantime, son Kent (Grant Sullivan) has returned from Desert Storm with a serious case of Gulf War syndrome that has left him incapacitated and drug-dependent. Left to sort out these twin tragedies are the long-suffering mother, Elaine (Lisa Richards); embittered father, Ed (Stephen Mendillo); and more-normal brother, Todd (Jeff Cole). When Phoebe falls in love with retarded co-worker Willy (Laurence Cohen) and Kent dies of an overdose, the play kicks into high melodrama, full of confessions, recriminations, and ultimate resolution.
The main problem with the play is that Kemble has so front-loaded this family with tragedy that it overwhelms the story before it can even begin. These characters are so much the victims of circumstance—not only the tragic twists of fate but also their own particular limitations—that their redemption is modest at best, at worst unsatisfying. Rather than working against the burden of the melodrama, the play seems to collapse under its own weight, over and over.
The only balance to this unrelenting misery are the fabulous performances by all in the cast. Gilad is transcendent and vivid in her portrayal of Phoebe; Richards is continuously bold and unflinching as the stoic mother; Mendillo is captivating in seizing on the shades of light and dark in the father; and Sullivan is mesmerizing as the Gulf War veteran caught in the spiral of despair. Cole is terrific as the brother struggling to find some normalcy amid the ruins, and Cohen is outstandingly real as the retarded co-worker. Jens directs this gifted ensemble with a magnificently light touch, highlighting the counterpoint of personality and plot. If only the playwright had found a lighter, crisper touch for this unremittingly dark play.
Presented by Greenway Arts Alliance at the Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Hollywood. Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m. Jan. 19-Feb. 24. (323) 655-7679, ext. 100. www.greenwayarts.org.