Photo: Paul Ruffolo
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre - Mala
Rána Roman in Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's "Mala"
Mala. In Spanish, the word means “bad.” In the excellent play of the same name written by Melinda Lopez, and staged at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, it is the name of the character who believes she truly I ... mala.
And she faces what many people of many generations face: how to care for aging parents as their minds and bodies begin to fail them over time. And time takes its toll ... on the caregivers as well.
In this beautifully acted and directed production, Rána Roman inhabits several characters, but mainly the daughter who keeps trying but feels she has failed, especially given her mother’s increasingly volatile and erratic behavior.
“Eres tu mala!” (“You are bad”) Her mother screams at her as she tries to help. And her daughter’s weary repetitive response to the audience? “She won’t rest until I’m dead.” The question is: who gets there first? And how to survive in the meantime?
MCT Artistic Director Brent Hazelton has given this intimate one-actor drama a gentle but realistic sheen. Beneath the surface, however, lies the gritty day to day deterioration of lives and ultimately relationships. This is what life is like for an adult juggling parents, husband, child, job ... Indeed, there were many affirmative sighs (and groans) at the never-ending challenges of dealing with 911, ambulances, doctors, nurses, a petulant “parent child” refusing help. Lopez’ stark, accessible storytelling is made that much stronger by the multi-faceted Roman.
In one moment she is the “good daughter, good cop” trying to please an impossible mother, suddenly shifting as she spits out the venom of her mother’s fury, creating an imperfect circle of what the relationship has become. Roman moves about the stage as if she’s talking to each of us individually. And in a way, she is, given that many in the audience could relate. It is a remarkable performance in that she really is Mala, the character. But is Mala truly, at her core, “bad”?
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
By play’s end, we can choose to believe if Mala lives up to (or down to) that name. For Mala, the answer lies within herself.
Mala runs through Feb. 13 in the Studio Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, Milwaukee. For tickets, call the Box Office at 414-291-7800, or visit: milwaukeechambertheatre.org.
