Martha, the 16-year-old daughter of a widowed Episcopalian preacher in Kentucky during the Civil War, shares concerns common to women of many eras: the desire to love and be loved by a decent man, the strong drive to bear children and raise them in a safe environment, and the fortitude to endure the difficult journey from adolescence to adulthood. In Jim Leonard's bracingly literate new play, Martha embarks on a 150-year odyssey, carrying her unborn child across treacherous battlefields -- literal and figurative. Part metaphorical fable, part zany burlesque, and part surrealistic reverie, Leonard's darkly funny epic explores sweeping sociological changes. It's magnificently served in director John Langs' world premiere rendition.
After Martha (Suzy Jane Hunt) becomes impregnated by Union Army soldier Henry (Bill Heck), she's thrown out of the house by her intolerant father (William Salyers). Determined to protect her unborn child, Martha roams across the land, seeking a safe haven. Impersonating a male soldier, she discovers that her adored Henry is now romantically involved with a fellow soldier (Robert Manning Jr.), and Henry is soon thereafter killed. Venturing forth on her quest like a latter-day Mother Courage, Martha resides on a farm with singing cows, becomes unjustly imprisoned in an insane asylum, experiences the activist turmoil of 1970s San Francisco, and encounters what appears to be a new incarnation of Henry. Many characters reappear in new forms, as the eloquent ensemble players (Heck, Manning, Salyers, and John Short) take on gender-bending and racially diverse roles, eliciting trenchant commentary on the slowly improving problem of stereotyping and bigotry in the U.S. Hunt's beautifully layered and heartfelt performance is the anchor that brings the bizarre shenanigans back to a rueful reality.
The production is infused with nonstop energy and spot-on humor. Michael A. Levine's sublimely amusing songs ingeniously dovetail with the proceedings, in a Brechtian fashion. Levine's stirring background music and Cricket S. Myers' superb sound effects accentuate the frequently shifting locales and moods. Brian Sidney Bembridge's awe-inspiring scenic and lighting designs brilliantly support the kaleidoscopic action. This is among Circle X's most exhilarating offerings -- a sinfully rich theatrical adventure infused with profoundly resonant social satire that produces visceral wonderment.
Presented by Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood. Jan. 17–Feb. 21. Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m. (323) 461-3673 or Ford Theatre.