Photo by Michael Brosilow
Circle Mirror Transformation - Next Act Theatre
Mark Ulrich, Tami Workentin, Elyse Edelman.
Next Act Theatre closes its 2024-25 season with Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation. In a series of scenes—punctuated by frequent black-outs—the play gives audiences a chance to observe the relationships between five adults, all of whom have signed up for an acting class at a community center. Circle Mirror Transformation continues through May 18 at the Next Act Theatre.
Although most real-life adult education classes don’t probe into the participants’ psyches as much as this one does, this play fearlessly steps into this uncharted territory.
Baker’s dialogue—supplemented by terrific direction by Artistic Director Cody Estle—is not as simple as it first appears. That’s what her followers have come to love. Baker has written a number of full-length plays (one of which has won the Pulitzer Prize).
Circle Mirror Transformation had its Off-Broadway premiere in 2009, and it has been performed at numerous theaters around the country (and in London’s West End). In honor of her work, Baker has received the coveted MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the “genius grant”).
As a writer who has also seen a production of Baker’s play The Flick in Madison, this play seems a bit more formulaic and less fulfilling. Both plays take a similar, a-day-in-the-life-of-ordinary-people approach. There’s a bit of laughter that springs naturally from the dialogue.
Credit goes to projections designer Katie Anderson, who reminds of the sequence of events. Each week is carefully noted (in bold letters) on the set itself.
Without much to look at in terms of the set (intentionally bland by set designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec), the audience naturally focuses on the people who stroll in for their first lesson. The heart of this enterprise is undoubtedly the acting coach, Marty (a tender Tami Workentin). She tells her students that she has been waiting “for ages” to teach this class. Her vivid personality and upbeat manner set the tone for what’s to follow.
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Top-Notch Cast Creates Theater Magic
Her class consists of four students: Schultz, a recently divorced woodworker (Reece Madigan); Lauren, a spunky high school junior who hopes to become an actress (Chloe Attalla), Theresa, a former actor who recently moved to town (the soulful Elyse Edelman) and Marty’s husband, James (Mark Ulrich). Ulrich makes the most of an underwritten role.
Theatergoers who are familiar with the city’s who’s who of fine actors will see that these actors were cherry-picked for their roles. Four of them have impressive credits, not to mention that they are all professional Equity actors. The young newcomer, Chloe Attalla, is also a good choice. She looks the part and handles her role with a maturity beyond her years.
During the acting class’ six-week duration, the characters learn more about themselves and each other than perhaps they would care to admit. The two-hour play opens with a seemingly inane task. Everyone lays on the linoleum floor in a circle, staring up. Then count off numbers up to 10. If any two people say the same number simultaneously, they have to start the exercise over.
Thankfully, other exercises prove to be more active (and funny). They take turns “telling their life story”—although, it’s not actually their story. It’s what they’ve gleaned from another classmate. They don’t hesitate to add a few comments of their own, based on what they’ve been told.
As the group reveals itself, alliances form and there’s even a bit of romance sprinkled in. But all this happens during fleeting moments. The audience must “fill in the blanks” to fully understand what’s going on.
Next Act has always prided itself on providing theater that “makes people think,” and this leisurely play gives one exactly that. The proof of the play’s effectiveness comes during one of the final classroom exercises. Everyone (even the teacher) writes down a secret “that they’ve shared with nobody.” The pieces of paper aren’t signed, and each character selects a piece that they will read to the class.
Audience members might be stunned by how easily they can pick out which character wrote what message. Even more fascinating is one of their follow-ups: a fictional conversation between Schultz and Lauren that supposedly happens when they meet by chance in 10 years. Then it becomes clear that Baker doesn’t need a lot of fanfare to make her point. She has taken a deep dive into human nature, where nobody, sadly, is able to protect themselves from the harsh realities of life.
“Circle Mirror Transformation” runs through May 18 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water Street in Milwaukee. For tickets, visit nextact.org, or call the box office at 414-278-0765.
