Some people deserve to
die, but not my Mom, is the issue explored in Steven Peterson’s new play about
a family crisis among the rich. Twelve million dollars will be lost if Grandma
doesn’t go soon and how the family deals with this crisis is what its all about.
There’s Grandma herself, trusting to the end that her loyal son will do the
best for all, but what she thinks will be best is anyone’s guess. The tug of
war to keep her alive – or send her gently into that good night – soon heats up
after the first act.
Dad loves his mom, his wife loathes the old biddy, the
grandkids love their granny but are too self centered to worry about anything
as mundane as money. Then there is the gentle caregiver, with her own hidden
agenda, who loves recklessly – or does she?
But for Dad, its not money that matters, its family and the continuation of the Woodley family name.
But for Dad, its not money that matters, its family and the continuation of the Woodley family name.
Lloyd Pedersen is craftily
subtle as Dad, a former Mama’s boy now a hen-pecked husband; Rhonda Lord is a
nasty daughter-in-law whose headaches are manifestations of a deeper pain; Nan
Tepper is the regal matron anxious to have her dynasty continue; Christine
Uhebe is the enigmatic caregiver whose secret endangers her patient’s lives;
Justin Huff is the simple-minded heir to a fortune and a tradition, while Ilona
Kulinska is the quintessential bratty kid-sister personified.
Larry Eisenberg’s fast-paced
direction sets up the family dynamics, while set by Jeff G. Rack and costumes
by Michèle Young suggest their casual affluence. Produced by David Hunt
Stafford for Theatre 40. At the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly
Hills. Through Oct. 20. Free Parking. Tickets: (310) 364-0535 or www.theatre40.org. Photos by Michèle Young.
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