Review - Surely Goodness and Mercy

Since we last chatted, I've seen three new plays!  Whee!  It was a busy end of the week.  I briefly thought of putting them all together in one post, but then I thought each was worthy of discussion, on its own.  And even though I could probably draw parallels and make comparisons, it seemed reductive to lump them into one container.  Therefore, I present the reviews separately, which means I'll fall behind in my future reporting since I have more shows this week, but...ah well.

Last Thursday, I went to see Keen Company's production of Surely Goodness and Mercy by Chisa Hutchinson.  I know and love Chisa, so again I'm sure I'm predisposed to enjoy her work, but I was simply knocked out by this play.  Chisa is a person who is filled with light and heart and powerful positive energy and it's amazing to me that she could write a story about real pre-teens with real problems in our real world that can still reflect her heart, light, and positive energy.  Surely Goodness and Mercy does that.  Here is Chisa's note in the program:  "This play is my answer to the White Savior Narrative, a simple assertion that you don't have to be a particular race - or age or class, for that matter - to be a blessing to someone else.  That's all.  Enjoy."

photo credit: Carol Rosegg

The play centers around Tino, a twelve-year-old boy who is ostracized at school and ostracized in his home (his mother was killed and he doesn't know who his father is; he's being raised by an aunt who clearly doesn't want him there) and he has turned to reading the Bible for guidance.  His one friend at the start of the play is Bernadette, the 'lunch lady' at his school.  She sees how he is treated by the other kids and although she has a brusque manner, she does tiny kindnesses for him, like keeping some chocolate milk behind for him, or making him a peanut butter sandwich on hot dog day, because she knows he doesn't like hot dogs.  Tino mainly keeps to himself, but having one person in his life who treats him with kindness begins to open him up.  He takes himself to a church and hears about 'being a blessing' to the world; he takes in the sermons with his whole heart and he also begins to share with a schoolmate, Deja, who seems to be having troubles of her own.

Bernadette is clearly ill and Tino is obsessed with trying to help her.  He 'borrows' his aunt's cell phone to do research on doctors and possible diagnoses; once her illness is diagnosed, Tino and Deja take matters into their own hands.  At the same time, Tino is undergoing a crisis of his own, and he needs a little care thrown his way as well.  The ideas that simple acts of kindness will multiply and the good you give will come back to you are explored in a beautiful way during this play.  

photo credit: Carol Rosegg

The acting in Surely Goodness and Mercy is first-rate.  Jay Mazyck as Tino was just fantastic.  He had such charm and pain and goodness shining through him; not in a cliche or sugar-coated way, but in a very authentic young person way.  Chisa's dialogue was one of the reasons why - each character had straightforward dialogue that was to-the-point, yet as big as the universe in character development.  I just kept being startled at the authenticity of each character's dialogue and nodded in recognition more than once.  I was so invested in these characters' lives and so moved by their honesty and sincerity in the face of uncertainty and brutality.

The physical production in the tiny Clurman Theatre was very good, though at times I did feel some of the shorter scenes got rushed because the actor was already thinking about heading to their next scene change, but that didn't happen often.  I was especially taken with the sound design and pre-show music, which got me energized and ready for what I was about to see.  This is a terrific new play being given a terrific production all around and you should get a ticket right now.  Discounts are available, so please go to see and support Chisa's work.  You won't regret spending time with these characters and perhaps thinking about finding the blessings in yourself.