review - HALSTED - Arizona Theatre Company

 

by Gil Benbrook

During the month of March, Arizona Theatre Company, in partnership with theatre companies across the U.S and in Mexico, are presenting a month-long celebration of the works of ATC Playwright-in-Residence Elaine Romero. This week sees a virtual, filmed reading of Romero's beautiful and introspective work in progress, Halsted.

In Romero's video introduction to the piece she says that it's her most autobiographical play, and that she's absolutely terrified to share it. ATC Artistic Director Sean Daniels, who directs the reading, adds that Romero's first time hearing the piece out loud was the first day of rehearsal. I have to imagine that was quite an experience for Romero since Halsted deals with the actual 2011 stroke that Romero's husband suffered in a restaurant on Halsted Street in Chicago and depicts the details of how it happened, which ultimately brought them to Tucson.

But Romero has nothing to be terrified about as this virtual reading is both an interesting look into the development process of a new work and a well crafted drama of "two people who love each other, struggling through the 'now' " as they deal with the after effects of a tragic incident.

The play centers on Clare and her husband Brian, who have lived together for 12 years. Clare tells us that she finds peace in writing, but that was the old Clare before the recent disruption that had set her world upside down - the stroke that her husband suffered. Clare knows that the best way to counter the impact of a stroke is to administer TPA, a life saving stroke drug that has some potential side effects and that also doesn't always work. When Brian doesn't have a full recovery after receiving the medication, and even has a brain bleed, Clare wonders if they gave him too much or too little of the medicine as she starts to question her actions and also questions God as to why he, or she, even invented strokes. 

Clare feels like if she doesn't continue doing the things that mean "me being me" that she will die. So, she starts a new play in the hospital room and applies for a grant to bring some sense of normalcy to the abnormality of the incident. She claims she doesn't have feelings but has needs, including the need to fulfill all the to do lists being given to her. She also adds, "when something happens to you, the people you know look at you with abject fear; they have no idea what they would do in your situation." 

In the imagined conversations she has with Brian, he tells her to live in the now, in this moment, like it or not. She replies, "this moment is a mother fucker!"  Brian only asks of her "no second guessing, no regrets."  But she continues to question if she made the right decision to have them give him the drug and is on a constant mission to fix Brian.

Romero's script beautifully depicts not only Clare's well spoken thoughts and feelings but also the internal monologue a stroke patient suffers as they attempt to get their limbs to reanimate and find the words to connect again with the world they once knew. The conversations between Clare and Brian, and Brian and his body parts are heartfelt but also humorous with Sean Daniels' direction perfectly allowing the humor and emotion of the piece to combine in a realistic way.

Catherine Castellano infuses Clare with empathy and deep emotion. Romero beautifully writes the character in a natural way with real-life dialogue and Castellano's line delivery and facial expressions draw you into the character and allow you to fully understand her plight, her suffering and her desire to find a way to fix her husband and to return to what was once normal. It's a moving performance of an incredibly nuanced and three dimensional character.

Nick Cordileone's tender portrayal of Brian brings an added level of warmth to his conversations with Castellano while also providing frenzied elements he has when Brian's brain talks to his limbs and butt. As Brian's body parts, John Gregorio and Caroline Neff interject the piece with humor, with Neff also portraying multiple characters, including a spunky God.

Benjamin Scheurer's original music, Will Rogers' editing and visuals and Mx Baines' sound editing add rich audio and visual aspects that compliment the piece.

Halsted may be a personable story but it's incredibly relatable to anyone who has suffered though a personal tragedy. 

Halsted streams through March 14. Information to view it, and to donate to ATC, can be found on their website HERE