By John Quinn
"Looking for the Pony" closes the 53rd season of the Detroit Repertory Theatre. Photo: Bruce Millan
Have you heard the one about the kid faced with a room full of manure and is found digging through the pile with gusto? "There's gotta be a pony here somewhere," he says. "Looking for the Pony," now at the Detroit Repertory Theatre, is the title of Andrea Lepcio's play concerning breast cancer, but it is a mistake to think that there's any bright side to a killing disease. "Looking for the Pony" is, rather, the story of a woman with indomitable will who will not give up her passion for life. It's the story of family who is there when you need them, regardless of the inconvenience. It's also, sadly, the story of the hurdles and pitfalls, the inefficiency and indifference that the gravely ill encounter when at the mercy of "the system."
Lauren and Eloisa ("Oisie") are step sisters, about five years apart. Oisie, dreaming of a career as a writer, contemplates returning to grad school. Then Lauren is diagnosed with a malignant breast tumor. Rather than roll over and die, Lauren fights for her life, staying on top of the loves that defines her existence – her husband, her two boys, her career, her faithful sister. The rest of the characters are played by Lulu Dahl ("Woman") and Hank Bennett ("Man"). What a motley bunch of characters they are! Agitated co-workers, peripatetic clients, incompetent doctors, egotistical teachers, shifty lawyers, shiftier insurance adjusters – one might hope they'd all get shut up together for the ultimate season of "Big Brother."
No longer able to live one day at a time, Lauren revives a slogan from her childhood: "1440, ready, set, go!" She's now living one minute at a time – 1440 precious minutes a day. Through therapy after treatment after medication she never falters in pursuit of life. These really are two sisters who can see the bright side of anything.
As Lauren and Oisie, Lisa Lauren Smith and Yana Levonna make a formidable team. Their balanced, nuanced performances show affection and sensitivity for their characters. Flashbacks to the girls' childhood show how big sister Lauren was the rock that supported Oisie; the role reversal during Lauren's illness is truly touching.
Director Charlotte Leisinger's staging for "Looking for the Pony" is clean and simple. Harry Wetzel's set is as spare and serene as a Zen garden; Judy Dery's costumes only divide the two main characters from the brown-clad "chorus." There are no properties – everything is mimed. This pure backdrop allows the actors to paint the complexities in the plot without distraction.
Make no mistake – the play is complex. There's no attempt at realism; Oisie breaks the fourth wall to provide a running narration. There are flashbacks and shift of scene that occasionally leave the audience behind. The sheer number of characters played by Dahl and Bennett is impressive, and making each unique is daunting. The actors are most successful when they can use his or her whole body to achieve the effect, less so when a different character means only a different dialect. Considering the rather mindless, uncaring denizens of the health care system Lepcio has created, one wonders if they needed delineation at all, remaining instead just another lackey. More problematic is the number of lines lost before they get past the sixth row: There's no need to hide your candle under a basket – sing out those lines!
In closing its 53rd season, the Detroit Repertory Theatre follows its tradition of bringing the fresh and unexpected to its patrons. When Artistic Director Bruce E. Millan introduced himself at his opening night curtain speech, the audience applauded. Looking around him he joked that he thought there must be a celebrity up there with him. Close, but no cigar, sir – to us in the theater community, that celebrity is "you." Best wishes for Season 54!
REVIEW:
'Looking for the Pony'
Detroit Repertory Theatre, 13103 Woodrow Wilson, Detroit. Thursday-Sunday through June 26. $17 in advance; $20 at the door. 313-868-1347. http://www.detroitreptheatre.com
