Photo by Michael Brosilow
Milwaukee Repertory Theater "New Age"
Courtney Rackley, Blair Medina Baldwin, Delissa Reynolds and Lisa Harrow in Milwaukee Repertory Theater's "New Age"
It’s always exhilarating to watch a new play, where viewers need to brace themselves for the unexpected. Although Milwaukee Repertory Theater has long been known as a place for offering new work, it recently has marshalled its considerable artistic forces to become a leader in this effort. Its latest project, a collaboration with noted playwright Dael Orlandersmith, is New Age, a world premiere that opened last weekend in the Rep’s Stiemke Studio.
The play’s title may suggest that its subject is the New Age movement, a type of spirituality associated with crystals, incense, meditation and ancient healing techniques. However, the “ages” refer to the various phases a woman passes through in her life. Orlandersmith’s play is intensely focused on a specific moment in the lives of four remarkable women, ages 18-80.
While some of their journeys reveal universal truths, the fact that all of them broke free from society’s constraints is the reason we meet them onstage.
Each of the women reveal many details about their pasts, as well as their relationships with their families, friends and lovers. All of them have gone against the grain to create a life for themselves that is uniquely fulfilling and meaningful. As each woman tells her story, the other cast members remain on stage, becoming an attentive chorus. Together, they create a safe and encouraging environment for each other.
Taking a Closer Look at Women Who Broke the Mold
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Milwaukee Repertory Theater "New Age"
Blair Medina Baldwin and Delissa Reynolds in Milwaukee Repertory Theater's "New Age"
While these specific actors may not be familiar to Milwaukee audiences, their characters surely will resonate with women everywhere. The oldest is Lisette (Delissa Reynolds), a fiery, 80-year-old black woman who is now confined to a nursing home in Los Angeles. She is disgusted by doctors and staff members who try to infantilize her. Many years ago, Lisette’s love of reading and writing took her far from her roots in South Dakota, leading her to Paris and Rome. She became not only a world traveler, but her personal library includes a number of first editions by authors such as James Baldwin and the Bronte sisters.
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The next oldest is Cass (Lisa Harrow), a white woman in her early 70s who exudes a sense of elegance and style. She is talking from a gallery in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is where she first met her husband. But after 25 years of marriage, he became her ex-husband after he traded her in for a younger model.
Candy (Courtney Rackley), who is also white, comes from a completely different background than Cass. At 45, she is taking stock of where life has led her. She notes that when in her twenties and early 30s, she was a magnet for all sorts of men. She did some acting—on stage and in film—and she now is running a bar. (Her section of the stage recreates her bar, complete with balloons, streamers and a half-eaten birthday cake.) She recently broke things off with a much younger boyfriend.
A Restless Teenager Can’t Sit Still
While all these women exist mainly in their own private areas of the stage (set design by You-Shin Chen), the youngest character, an 18-year-old mixed-race woman named Liberty (Blair Medina Baldwin), cannot be similarly contained. With an electric guitar wrapped around her neck, the independent Liberty has struck out on her own. Wearing a punky hairdo and jeans, Liberty strolls around the stage and occasionally wades through a shallow pond that’s part of the set. She plays a few well-known songs, interspersed with noisy guitar riffs and her original music (music direction by Bob Monagle, with original music and sound design by Lindsay Jones).
Early in the play, the action comes to a complete stop as all of the women say in unison, “today is a cruel day.” For Lisette, it’s the day when doctors tell her about her advanced brain tumor. For Cass, it’s the day when her ex-husband’s new, younger wife notifies her of the man’s death. For Candy, it’s her 45th birthday and the beginning of mid-life. For Liberty, it’s the day she leaves home.
A Lyrical, Conscientiousness-raising Session
More than anything, New Age resembles what used to be called a women’s conscientiousness-raising session. It brings to the forefront all of the social pressures put on women to behave in a certain way. By rebelling against these forces, the women find freedom and fulfillment. However, they let us know that their road is not an easy one to walk. Director Jade King Carroll takes Orlandersmith’s words and creates a moving, poignant and often humorous tapestry of these women’s experiences.
Like another of Orlandersmith’s works, Antonio’s Song: I was Dreaming of a Son (which was presented earlier this year at Milwaukee Rep, also in the Stiemke Studio), New Age is a poetic blend of music, movement and dialogue. When comparing the two, however, it feels as though the 55-minute New Age is the lesser of these works. It doesn’t really have anything new to say and, despite some of its attractions, doesn’t reach a final conclusion.
However, the level of acting here is spectacular, and there is much to see, absorb and savor in New Age. Best of all, it concentrates on women’s ever-changing roles in society, regardless of their age.
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New Age continues through May 1 at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Check ahead for COVID policies. For tickets, visit MilwaukeeRep.com, call 414-224-9490, or visit the box office at 108 E. Wells St.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Milwaukee Repertory Theater "New Age"
Courtney Rackley in Milwaukee Repertory Theater's "New Age"
