In trying to show the fragile balance ofrelationships, playwright Lucinda Coxon leans heavily on the downside. Theplay’s central character is Kitty, a young wife and mother who lives in London. On the cusp ofmiddle age, Kitty must balance the roles of wife, mother, daughter, friend andmanager. Along the way she loses perspective on her life until a businessmanshe hardly knows reminds her of her blessings. He tells her that her lifeactually contains everything she needs to be content. “I give you permission tobe happy,” he says. His words hit home.
But prior to this epiphany, we meet all the peoplein Kitty’s life: her steady husband, who has “left the rat race” to pursue amore fulfilling career; her friends, including her best friend who happens tobe gay; her aggravating mother; and this businessman. They come together invarious combinations to bring joy and havoc to Kitty’s life. Many of thesituations are painfully realistic. What working woman couldn’t relate to thisscenario: Kitty returns after a one-day work conference, takes a look aroundher house, and says, “If I were ever gone for more than a day, (my family)would go feral.”
Under Jon Jory’s direction, the characters get themost out of the play’s occasional, but devastatingly funny, quips, visual gagsand one-liners. It lightens the mood as one couple contemplates divorce,another character’s life hangs in the balance, and another character faces upto his alcoholism.
Kitty is onstage in almost every scene, and this isa welcome situation with Deborah Staples in the role. She expertly plays hercharacter on the edge, teetering but never quite going over the brink. GerardNeugent, as Kitty’s husband, broadens his acting chops in a serious role.Kitty’s best friend, Carl, gets a lift from Torrey Hanson’s deadpan humor. Hislow-key performance is dead-on, and this makes his character all the moresympathetic. The same cannot be said for Lee Ernst as the lecherous (anddecidedly unsympathetic) businessman. But Ernst is so likable that he graduallygets the audience to warm up to him. His performance is sheer magic to watch.Although Rose Pickering has a minor role as Kitty’s self-pitying, hypochondriacmother, she makes the most of it. The more infuriating she gets, the funniershe is. Although there’s much for all to enjoy in Happy Now?, it must be noted that this play contains mature subjectmatter and strong language. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it may givehope to those who find themselves confronting similar situations.
Happy Now?continues at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater through Nov. 15.
