Passion and Wonder at Splinter Group

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Paul Zindel’s The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds treads the tragic distance that can develop between people. The Splinter Group production of the drama explores the emotional space between people with passion and wonder. A study of contrasts plays out on a cold stage accompanied by a cuddly, live little pet rabbit in a cozy studio theater.

Niffer Clarke is true to the flaws and faults of faded human potential in the role of Beatrice, a woman suffering from crippling phantoms of the past. She’s looking after a couple of schoolgirl daughters and an aging boarder. Beatrice is cruel and emotionally abusive, but with a humanizing depth that Clarke brings to the stage quite well.

As Beatrice’s intellectually active daughter, Tillie, Kat Wodtke has a quiet inner strength and sophistication that can only resonate through silences and thoughtful determination. Wodtke sustains a dignity that keeps the role from lying as flat as it might in less adept hands.

Megan Kaminsky brings earthbound charm as Tillie’s sister, Ruth, who suffers from being raised by a bitter and caustic mother. Kaminsky deftly handles the challenge of being shallow and abusive while still feeling authentic when the play calls for compassion, empathy and vulnerability. Radiating admirably complex and fractured warmth, Kaminsky endearingly bridges the gap between the overbearing Beatrice and the shy, reserved, reluctantly submissive Tillie. It’s a remarkably engrossing emotional dynamic at the heart of the play.

Splinter Group's production of The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds continues through Nov. 9 at the Marian Center, 3211 S. Lake Drive. For tickets, visit splinter-group.org.