Thoughts on The Healing

Those of you who know me, or read my blog, may remember that I'm a staunch advocate for the rights of the disabled.  I know I don't always do enough, but I try to do what I can - I serve on committees and I speak out where appropriate.  I recently wrote a brief essay in my company's magazine about how to make our theater audiences truly diverse, including for the disabled.  So, all of that is to say when I received a steeply discounted ticket offer for Samuel D. Hunter's new play at TBTB (Theater Breaking Through Barriers), I immediately pounced. Since the show is still in previews and doesn't open until next week, I'll only offer a few thoughts.

I've only seen one other Sam Hunter play, Pocatello, which I really enjoyed (you can read that review HERE).  I need to read more of his work - as a small-town, Midwestern girl myself, I connect with his worldview.  I just watched an interview with Sam where he described the incident that compelled him to write his new play, The Healing, for a particular group of actors he admires.  That all of those actors happen to be disabled is not a coincidence.  This is how the theater company's flyer describes the play:  "Twenty-five years ago, a motley group of friends met as kids at a summer camp where the head counselor secretly taught them their disabilities could be “cured” through the power of prayer. Today, the group has gathered to mourn the untimely passing of one of its members. Over the course of the night, old wounds are uncovered, friendships are tested and the truth surrounding their late friend becomes troublingly clear."

The Healing is very moving, both on the page and what it accomplishes just by existing: a chance for wonderful actors who happen to be disabled to show their considerable talent. I'm always interested in stories where people question their faith, since I am constantly questioning myself, and to hear characters in this play describe people, who truly think they're coming from a place of love, who think their being disabled can be cured by praying more, is simply heartbreaking.  Hearing how they've changed, accepted things, and changed again was terrifically thought-provoking.

The play begins after a funeral - two friends are eating leftovers and watching a home-shopping network because they can't find the remote to turn the channel.  We learn that we're in the home of the deceased, Zoe, and the two friends, Sharon and Donald, are there to clean and empty out the house.  Over the course of the evening, we meet two more people who used to be friends with Zoe, Laura and Bonnie, plus Bonnie's new boyfriend, Greg, and at the end of the play, we meet another character only alluded to throughout the evening.  In flashback scenes, we also meet Zoe.

Part of me wonders if it would've made more sense for us NOT to meet Zoe, to just hear about her through the other characters, though I'm not sure that's the right choice, either. And I guess that would make it my play instead of Hunter's.  But that didn't really bother me, it just sort of struck me on the way home. On the whole, I enjoyed watching The Healing very much.  It was a story I've never seen onstage before, which I love, and these actors were terrific.  There were many stories being told, actually, both on- and off-stage. There were a lot of laughs interspersed with the sadder moments, and all of the actors had terrific comic timing.  They were all disabled, too, remember. So this story of disability was told with great authenticity and truth, which, as we all know, isn't always the case.  So, bravo, cast of The Healing:  Shannon DeVido, David Harrell, Jamie Petrone, John McGinty, Mary Theresa Archbold, Pamela Sabaugh and Lynne Lipton.  I hope to see you all onstage a lot more in the future.

As with Pocatello, I think Sam Hunter has written truthful, interesting characters, with flaws and demons.  The dialogue was quirky and smart and always completely authentic to the characters.  The arguments about religion were done so as all the characters were treated with dignity and respect and no one was demonized.  I do think maybe the actors got some new pages recently, because there seemed to be a few awkward pauses throughout the night, but otherwise, this was a smart, funny, sad, touching piece about a topic I found fascinating.  I was asking myself many questions on the way home from the theater, which is always a treat, and plays that can do that are ALWAYS worth championing.  I think you should definitely go see The Healing.  I may go back again myself.