A Body Of Water

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

The Regional Premiere of Lee Blessings’ play A Body of Water presented by Modern Muse Theatre Company at The Bug Theatre is quite frankly — all wet!

Laura Norman (Wren) and Julie Payne (Avis) in Modern Muse Theatre Company’s regional premiere of A Body of Water by Lee Blessing. Photo by Kit Hedman

Directed by Stephen J. Lavezza and featuring David Payne, Julia Elstun Payne, and Laura Norman, the characters created come across as cardboard paper dolls “glumming” through the motions after neatly folding their animated energy backstage to keep it from getting wet.

The play drags unmercifully. The three characters have as much life as a clam buried six feet under sand looking for the body of water that had its plug pulled before the house lights dimmed.

It doesn’t do anything, doesn’t go anywhere, but around in circles in its own circled tide pool.

Blessing jumps into a surrealistic pool of wonderment exploring the importance of memory and the consequences when it isn’t there. Memory gives us substance, which this production lacks.

Granted the subject intrigues, and we all know what happens when memory gets locked outside of our Being.

We’ve seen the affects of Alzheimer’s and amnesia. Somewhere along the line imaginative minds can’t help but wonder what would happen if memory were lost. Heartbreaking and devastating, it is agonizing to look at someone known for several years, having him or her ask who are you? Memory ties value, history and meaning together.

Blessing places two people in a summerhouse on top of a mountain surrounded by a body of water. Moss (David Payne) and Avis (Julia Payne) wake up one morning not knowing who they are, not even knowing if they know each other. They don’t recognize their surroundings. Avis stands at one of the windows viewing water in all directions, wondering if the waters are connected. They have no idea how they got there or why.

Slowly, way too slowly, they begin to explore the possibilities, wondering if they are married. Avis remembers waking up to find Moss’ hand on her breast, coyly admitting, when asked, that it was a pleasant feeling.

A mysterious woman, Wren (Norman) appears out of nowhere. In a cold legalese tone of voice, she makes it clear the routine they are about to embark on has happened many times.

Wren’s stories change. Is she a lawyer defending the couple of brutally murdering their 11-year old daughter several years ago? Is she a mental health nurse assigned to looking after the couple? Is she their daughter? Did Avis disappear? Did Moss die in a car accident? The truth never gets clarified. After a short while, one doesn’t really care. The character remains cold, distant, and unsympathetic. One would neither want her for a lawyer, mental health nurse, nor a daughter. Even as a daughter when she kisses Avis on the forehead, it’s with more obligatory puppetry than affection.

Once the subject of memory and possible loss becomes evident, no further thought-provoking concepts tickle the brain for further examination. One just wants the house lights to come on.

Since A Body Of Water won the 2006 Steinberg New Play Award for outstanding new plays produced out of New York City, one can either surmise they were hard up for new plays that year, or something is missing from this production. Since early 2006 reviews talked about compelling strong actors, it is comfortable to assume something is missing from this production. Intrigue for one, Caring for another. It is nearly impossible to care about any of the characters for their flat presentation.

There is no indication how long this has been going on, but early in the game a clue gets dropped that the play starts where it begins, which is exactly what happens.

The attractive set designed by Hans Flinch of the summerhouse causes one to digress into daydreaming of how grand it would be to have access to such a summerhouse on a mountain surrounded by water. It’s OK to take a moment for that delicious thought. Nothing will be missed.

Robert Byers lighting design shows clouds over one window while the large side windows are left blank. Deliberate? Or did the clouds just happen to miss that window?

Sound effects with cars arriving and leaving designed by Brian Freeland come across so natural, one almost expects to see a car roll across the stage and up an aisle.

Nothing exists within this production to reach out and grab attention or involvement. Except for the initial concept, nothing intellectually pops into the conversation to tantalize the mind.