Dot

Reviewed by Daphnie Sicre

Image Sourced by Vineyard Theatre

My grandmother has Alzheimers. Seeing a play about how a family deals with Alzheimers is probably one of the last things I want to do. It is simply too painful, but I found the courage to see Dot, and what a delight!

Colman Domingo nails it. His storytelling depicts the struggles of a family dealing with their mother’s early to middle stages of dementia. Blended with brilliant realistic dialogue, Domingo’s words come to life and give light to a subject many of us have a hard time dealing with.

The play opens up with Shelly (Sharon Washington) tending to her mother Dotty (Marjorie Johnson) and childhood next-door neighbor, Jackie (Finnery Steeves) on Christmas Eve. Within minutes, Shelly pours herself a glass of watermelon vodka to deal with everything. From rearranging things Dotty has moved, to trying to get her to sign papers, to reminding her to eat breakfast, Shelly is doing everything she can to take care of her mom, while Dotty is trying to hold on to whatever memories she can.

As act one unfolds, each family member returns to visit Dotty, and discovers what is really going on with her. But this is not just the story of a mother with Alzheimers. Domingo does a wonderful job interweaving all the relationships within this family: from son Donnie’s (Stephen Conrad Moore) marriage issues with his husband (Colin Hanlon), to youngest daughter Averie (Libya Pugh) living with Shelley and not speaking to her, to Jackie revealing she is pregnant and still in love with Donnie, her childhood boyfriend. But perhaps one of sweetest relationships explored in the play is that of Fidel (Michael Rosen), Dotty’s undocumented caretaker from Kazakhstan. He is caring, patient and understanding with Dotty, allowing her to rejoice in the memories she does remember.

Truly an ensemble piece, the actors are able to deliver their lines with wit and charisma, all while telling a heartbreaking story of the matriarch slowly fading away. They are well directed by Susan Stroman, and the story is realistically realized through the set, costumes and lights. Set designer Allen Moyer even surprises the audience transitioning from the kitchen in Act 1 to the living room in Act 2, all in the matter of a short 10 minute intermission.

Whether you have a family member with Alzheimers or not, this play will give you a clear understanding of what goes on when we start losing our precious memories.

DOT by Colman Domingo. Directed by Susan Stroman. Set Design: Allen Moyer. Costume Design: Kara Harmon. Lighting Design: Ben Stanton. Sound Design: Tom Morse Hair & Make up: Dave Bova. Production Stage Manager: Roy Harris. At The Vineyard Theatre, 108 East 15th Street. Feburary 4 – March 24, 2016.

Daphnie Sicre is a full-time instructor at BMCC-CUNY, where she teaches courses in theatre, social justice, and advanced public speaking.  Some of her NYC directing credits include: "Shower Me" at FringeNYC, "Stranger" for Stage Black where she won a Best Director Award; additionally, the Audelco nominated "Not About Eve." 

Washer/Dryer

Reviewed By A.J. Muhammad

Nandita Shenoy did double duty as both playwright and lead in her 90-minute comedy “Washer/Dryer.”  Shenoy played an Indian-American working actor and owner of a studio with a prized washer/dryer combo in a co-op on Manhattan’s Upper East who has to choose between her true love and her dream apartment.

Sonya and her Chinese-American hubby Michael (played with expert timing by Johnny Wu) eloped and to Michael’s frustration, he can’t openly live with Sonya because of Sonya's strict co-op board rules.  Michael must keep mum about their marriage while his insult spewing and overbearing mother-in-law Dr. Lee (Jade Wu), and a neurotic co-op board president Wendee (Annie McNamara) complicate matters. Michael pretends he is Sonya’s gay friend when confronted by Wendee and accuses Wendee of discrimination to scare her away.  Later, Sonya’s African American neighbor and BFF Sam (Jamyl Dobson), a gay designer, talks some much needed sense into Sonya who risks losing Michael because of her misplaced priorities and lies.

Shenoy succeeds with a play that has roles for a multi-cultural cast that only smaller companies like Ma-Yi can seem to produce in New York City(!) in a way that is authentic, while inclusivity eludes theaters with multi-million dollar budgets and geriatric subscribers. “Washer/Dryer” has universal themes (frayed parent-child relationships) and a touching scene in which two women from different ethnicities bond over their sons while cooking.  However, Shenoy’s representation of Sam, who although is played with intelligence and warmth by Dobson, and others veered into caricatures. Director Benjamine Kamine needed a firmer hand with Shenoy who ranged from auto-pilot to exasperated, and his pacing could’ve been tighter. Fortunately, the game cast helped as did her designers who created a malfunctioning washer/dryer which reminded space deprived New Yorkers not to store electronics in the dryer. Also, thanks to Jade Wu whose recipe for Tongzi Ji Chicken, which she cooked onstage, was included the show's program. Audience members can test its ability to ease parent-child tensions as Wu's character claimed it did in the play. 

Washer/Dryer by Nandita Shenoy.  Directed by Benjamine Kamine. Set Design: Anushman Bhatia. Costume Design: Dede Ayite. Lighting Design: Jonathan Cottle. Sound Design: Miles Polaski. Production Stage Manager: Shelley Miles.  At Theatre Row Theaters, 410 W. 42nd St.  Ran from Jan 26- Feb 21, 2016.