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Review
ReviewGirl In The Goldfish Bowl
by Rich See
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This very well could be the last day of my childhood. ---Iris |
 S. Lynskey (Photo: Colin Hovde)
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This is the eccentric world that playwright Morris Panych thrusts us into in his endearing comedy Girl in the Goldfish Bowl. With witty writing that is both thoughtful and touching, Mr. Panych discusses the illusions of childhood and the realities of life as a family falls apart and no one really knows why it didn't fall apart sooner. While his story contains bits of child-like fantasy, it never seems contrived as can happen when playwrights throw in one screwed up person after another in the hopes of disguising the fact that they haven't thought up a plot. In this case, Mr. Panych has a simple story that flows well and doesn't get lost in the idiosyncrasies of his subjects. Extremely bright Iris is trying to keep her parents together for her own survival; her father, Owen, is obsessed with her mother, Sylvia; ever present Miss Rose lusts after Owen; the strange Mr. Lawrence seems to be in a constant fog; and Sylvia seems like a trapped animal ready to chew off its own leg to escape as quickly as possible. It's not a pretty picture, but somehow it's all very funny, and yet at the same time borders on disturbed.
Director Gregg Henry, who directed last season's An Experiment With An Air Pump, times the show well so that the humor grabs us while a simultaneous feeling of impending doom keeps us wondering how the story will ultimately end. Could Mr. Lawrence really be the reincarnated Amal? Is Miss Rose as cruel as Iris thinks she is? Will Iris survive the Catholic school nuns? Is Owen and Sylvia's relationship irreconcilable? And will Eddie Fisher ever go back to Debbie Reynolds?
Nicholas Vaughan's set mirrors the disheveled life of Iris' family. Part living room and part work room, it is a place where Iris is constantly hiding and watching the adults in her life. Sound designer William Burns creates a 60's atmosphere with some wonderful guitar music and sounds of the era that is accented by the babbling of water; which gives us the message that regardless, just like water, life flows forward.
Susan Lynskey fills the role of Iris wonderfully. Her recreation of a ten year-old is both whimsical and perceptive as she verbally spars with her ineffective parents or tries to make sure Mr. Lawrence understands his role in her grand plan for family bliss.
Kathleen Coons is Sylvia, a woman who's pushed to the edge and not really sure why she is there. Ms. Coons brings empathy to what could be a very unlikable character. Bobby Smith's Owen is a drifter in his own home. Wandering around in his bathrobe, Mr. Smith imbues Owen with sympathy but also helps us see how the man is holding his family captive via his fears, phobias and obsessions.
As the fish-gutting, booze-swilling, sex hungry Miss Rose, Susan Ross brings a wonderful smirk and 40's era sassiness to the role. And Michael Russotto's befuddled Mr. Lawrence is alternately funny and frightening as we wonder if he is criminally insane and simply suffering from an undiagnosed case of adult attention-deficit disorder.
Girl in the Goldfish Bowl is a show worth a look and one that will have you smiling well after you walk out the door. Catch it before it closes!
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Girl In The Goldfish Bowl
by Morris Panychdirected by Gregg Henry with Susan Lynskey, Kathleen Coons, Bobby Smith, Susan Ross and Michael Russotto Set Design: Nicholas Vaughan Costume Design: Deb Sivigny Lighting Design: John Burkland Sound Design: William Burns Running Time: 2 hours with one intermissions MetroStage, 1201 North Royal Street, Alexandria, VA Telephone: 1-800-494-8497 or 703-548-9044 www.metrostage.org WED - SAT @8, SUN @3 & 7; $35 - $40 Opening 09/13/06, closing 10/15/06 Reviewed by Rich See based on 09/29/06 performance |
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