Reviewed by Judy Richter
With their feet pointing toward
the center, five people lie in a circle and try to count to 10, randomly by
person and not overlapping. When they do, they start over -- and over -- and
over.
This
is the unpromising start of Annie Baker's "Circle Mirror Transformation," a Bay Area premiere
presented by Marin Theatre Company in a co-production with Encore Theatre Company of San Francisco. This scene is
repeated several times throughout the intermissionless work. Along with the
frequent blackouts (punctuated by Cliff Caruthers' sound design and music) between
scenes, this production,as directed by Kip Fagan, seems to drag on longer than
its actual two hours.
Except
for a mirror that covers one wall, the setting is a relatively bare room (set
by Andrew Boyce
with lighting by Gabe Maxson) in the community center in the small town of Shirley
Vt. Four people and an instructor gather for a six-week summer acting class.
The instructor, Marty (the excellent Julia Brothers), puts her four students through
that counting exercise and others that begin to reveal hints about each
person's character.
The
students are a mixed group. The most poised is Theresa (Arwen Anderson), who had some acting experience
in New York but who moved to Shirley after breaking up with her boyfriend. Her
direct opposite is Lauren (Marissa Keltie), a 16-year-old who slumps in her hoodie
(costumes by Christine Crook) and participates with great reluctance. However, she
later reveals that she really does want to become an actor -- or maybe a
veterinarian. Also somewhat reluctant is Schultz (Robert Parsons), a divorced carpenter who
apparently is just looking to meet people, particularly women. Completing the
class roster is the reserved but dignified James (L. Peter Callender), Marty's husband.
Some
of what the audience learns about each character comes when each one gets up in
front of the class and talks as if he or she were one of the others. More
information is parceled out during two-person conversations before each class
session or during breaks. However, just about when a conversation becomes more
revealing, it's interrupted by the arrival of someone else. This device is
often repeated, too.
A
climactic scene comes toward the end when each person anonymously writes a
secret and hands it in to be distributed randomly and read aloud. By then the
audience can begin to make some educated guesses, but not in every case.
Even
though "Circle Mirror Transformation" won the 2010 Obie Award for
Best New American Play, it seems flawed, leaving the audience with more
questions than answers -- a frustrating experience, at least in this
production, which seems like a waste of a talented cast of seasoned Bay Area
actors.
Baker
also wrote the far superior "Body Awareness," produced earlier this
year by Aurora Theatre Company.