missing grace written by the valley's most valued playwright, John Perovich, opened at the Brelby studio this past weekend. As a Brelby regular, I was intrigued by their commitment to keeping the plot of this new work a mystery. When I walked into the studio opening night, my interest grew even deeper as I saw a bare stage before me, with only a refrigerator to set the scene. As the lights went down, and the powerful Mia Passerella locked eyes with her audience, I became completely sucked into the heartbreak and anguish of the intricately crafted characters that unraveled before me.
The story centers around Grace and Robert, a modern, middle-aged couple who are dealing with the loss of their ten-year-old son, Billy. Though Grace and Robert are desperately trying to conduct the appearance of a normal life with the support of Grace's young and beautifully intoxicating cousin Allison, Grace seems to fall deeper through the rabbit hole of her wounded mind. With a birthday cake, and a fire burning in each of their hearts, the family is left to deal with the consequences of the past, and the reality of a new beginning.
Mia Passerella is breathtaking as Grace. The moment she walks onto the stage, her eyes tell the tale of a woman with an aching heart. The fire within them spread into her soul, connecting each moment with extreme depth, and passionate delivery. The amount of empathy she expresses for a mother with a broken heart is absolutely extraordinary. I found myself having trouble catching my breath multiple times throughout the show. Bring in her counter part Matt Clarke who plays Robert Davis, and you have the makings of a dynamite duo. The two go together like fine wine and cheese, delicately matching their broken hearts to complete one other. Clarke is a powerhouse on his own; his performance of a man crumbling under the weight of reality allows the audience to see both sides of the tarnished coin. Allison Bauer as the "middle man" (or shall I say, woman), brings an adoring complexity to the play. One of the strongest choices Perovich has made is not allowing Allison to seem like a secondary character in the chaos of Grace and Robert's predicament. He sets her up as an equal part in all the craziness, and Bauer rises up to the challenge, establishing her character as the voice of reason. As individuals, they provide the audience with ultimate tenderness. As a trio, they set fire to the melting candle.
Perovich has written a drama that will pull at your heart strings. He has mastered the ability to bring a sense of truth to the experience of grieving, without overwhelming the audience, or playing the emotion. Perovich has always provided the Brelby studio with works that connect to one's subconscious. I have no doubt that missing grace in particular will make its way into theatres around the valley. As always, director Brian Maticic lives up to his reputation of digging deep into the text, and finding shining layers of gold. It is obvious in the work itself how collaborative this piece was with the entire creative team, and to witness it's magic on a bare stage was truly a pleasure to see.
missing grace recognizes the missing pieces in all of us. It inspires new beginnings; it forces us to face the demons we try to hide in our closets. Most importantly, it provides comfort to those in suffering, and sparks hope for a better tomorrow. missing grace has its final showings this weekend. Tickets can be bought both online brelby.com, and in person. Feel free to call 623-282-2781 for more information.
Showings:
Thursday @ 7:30
Friday @ 7:30
Saturday @ 2pm
Mia Passerella is breathtaking as Grace. The moment she walks onto the stage, her eyes tell the tale of a woman with an aching heart. The fire within them spread into her soul, connecting each moment with extreme depth, and passionate delivery. The amount of empathy she expresses for a mother with a broken heart is absolutely extraordinary. I found myself having trouble catching my breath multiple times throughout the show. Bring in her counter part Matt Clarke who plays Robert Davis, and you have the makings of a dynamite duo. The two go together like fine wine and cheese, delicately matching their broken hearts to complete one other. Clarke is a powerhouse on his own; his performance of a man crumbling under the weight of reality allows the audience to see both sides of the tarnished coin. Allison Bauer as the "middle man" (or shall I say, woman), brings an adoring complexity to the play. One of the strongest choices Perovich has made is not allowing Allison to seem like a secondary character in the chaos of Grace and Robert's predicament. He sets her up as an equal part in all the craziness, and Bauer rises up to the challenge, establishing her character as the voice of reason. As individuals, they provide the audience with ultimate tenderness. As a trio, they set fire to the melting candle.
Perovich has written a drama that will pull at your heart strings. He has mastered the ability to bring a sense of truth to the experience of grieving, without overwhelming the audience, or playing the emotion. Perovich has always provided the Brelby studio with works that connect to one's subconscious. I have no doubt that missing grace in particular will make its way into theatres around the valley. As always, director Brian Maticic lives up to his reputation of digging deep into the text, and finding shining layers of gold. It is obvious in the work itself how collaborative this piece was with the entire creative team, and to witness it's magic on a bare stage was truly a pleasure to see.
missing grace recognizes the missing pieces in all of us. It inspires new beginnings; it forces us to face the demons we try to hide in our closets. Most importantly, it provides comfort to those in suffering, and sparks hope for a better tomorrow. missing grace has its final showings this weekend. Tickets can be bought both online brelby.com, and in person. Feel free to call 623-282-2781 for more information.
Showings:
Thursday @ 7:30
Friday @ 7:30
Saturday @ 2pm
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