Review - The Oldest Boy

I'm a big fan of Sarah Ruhl's work - while I acknowledge that sometimes she can veer off into the 'twee' territory, most of the time I find her poetry and gorgeous imagery to be quite moving, plus she really doesn't write like anyone else, which is always a nice change.  So when a friend of a friend offered me a free ticket for last Wednesday night's performance of her new play, The Oldest Boy, I pounced.

And I'm ever so glad I did.  I love plays that explore spirituality and searching - having no particular religion in my life, I enjoy hearing the arguments and defenses of various faiths enacted on stage.  In The Oldest Boy, Buddhism is front and center.  Celia Keenan-Bolger plays a young American woman, married to a Tibetan in exile, and they are raising a young son.  At the top of the play, we see her struggling to meditate, and then her life is thrown into turmoil because of a visit from two monks, who inform the young couple that their son is most likely the reincarnation of a revered Tibetan Lama.



photo credit: Sara Krulwich

What follows are discussions about faith, family, sacrifice, culture, selflessness, home, knowledge, teachers and so much more.  Yes, maybe some of the issues are touched on a little too briefly, but I was completely transfixed and incredibly moved throughout the production.  Though the play action is presented in a pretty straight-forward fashion, Ruhl also uses other theatrical conventions, both Western and Eastern, to make the experience so much richer.  The young son, Tenzen, is represented by a Bunraku puppet; there is also dance and music used to propel the story.  The fourth wall is frequently broken, and the narration (and dual narration) enriches the backstories.  The physical production is also amazing, so I felt like I was just surrounded by so much beauty.  

I especially loved the comparisons of an educational mentor to a spiritual mentor - the mixing and joining of intellect and faith was just lovely.  There was a wonderful extended conversation between one of the monks and the mother, about using what your mentor gives you and learning to stand on your own (and learning to let go what isn't of use).  I had tears in my eyes throughout that scene, it was just so delicate and moving and true.

photo credit: T. Charles Erickson

All of the acting was simply fantastic - they took me on a journey I hadn't been on before.  I also learned a bit about a religion I know next to nothing about, and something about a people who are infrequently portrayed on stage.  There are some notes in the Playbill about Tibet, and the play itself uses some bold imagery to highlight the sorrow of Tibetan exiles.  The ideas of never being able to go home, and how do you keep your culture alive wherever you are, were very thought-provoking.  The Buddhist idea of 'taking refuge' looms very large throughout the entire play.  Maybe the play lacked true dramatic tension because you're not really in doubt of what will happen, but I found the ideas and the execution of the ideas compelling.  There is also a lot of humor in The Oldest Boy, in case you were worried it was just a bunch of spiritual mumbo jumbo.  I just liked the way the struggle was presented and hearing the characters work their ways through the struggles.  I give The Oldest Boy a huge thumbs up and hope everyone can find time to add this delicate rumination to their list of must-see theater this season...