To my fellow readers, I have a confession to make. I have autism. It’s true. It just not affects me. It affects over 1,000 kids in America. But, no matter what it is, you got your whole family behind your back. Families aren’t perfect, but they all get by together. That’s the spirit and message within Deanna Jent’s delightful, quiet and serious new play Falling, which opened last night at the Minetta Lane Theatre, lively directed by Lori Adams.
The Martins are just an average family with one serious matter. Their son, Josh {Daniel Everidge} has autism. Josh is addicted to marbles, feathers and diaper ads and sometimes has temper tantrums and plays inappropriately with himself. One day, the boy’s granny Sue {Jacey Powers} comes for a visit and it tests the impact of Josh, his sister Lisa {Celia Howard}, his mom Tami {Julia Murney} and dad Bill {Daniel Pearce}.
In the hands of Jent and Adams, it neither gets too preachy about its message nor turns into a Hallmark Hall of Fame quality movie. It handles the balance between comedy and drama very well. The show’s last twenty minutes even has an It’s a Wonderful Life feeling to it. Though it’s not a manipulative tearjerker, the last few minutes put me in tears.
The cast is so fantastic that their characters can relate to your own family. Even mine. The biggest standout among them is Wicked and Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party vet Murney. She is powerful and delivers in two scenes midway in the play. One is when Josh wrestles Tami and Granny Sue while a dog barks outside. The other is when Lisa has a fight with Tami about moving with her grandma. They’re both performed to great dramatic effect. After playing a green witch and a vaudeville singer, Murney could have a future in the field of plays.
Everidge portrays Josh with the right kind of mannerisms and mind of a perfect autistic and disabilited teenager. There’s also fine support from Howard, Powers and Pearce, who with Murney makes a wonderful couple.
Plus, special kudos to set designer John C. Stark and lighting designer Julie Mack. They has mastered a set delivers the real feeling of the average suburban American home. With no Broadway credits to his name, Stark could be heading for a future designing for the Great White Way.
Through the play is only 75 minutes, it’s worth spent in the company of a splendid cast and a perfect message that’s worth fitting for an after-show discussion. This is a show that every psychiatrist, teacher, student and family with or without an autistic child must see. This is one show worth talking about after.
Rating: ***1/2
Parent Advisory: PG-13 for adult situations {Ages 13 and up}
Falling is playing at the Minetta Lane Theatre at 18 Minetta Lane {between 3rd Street and Bleecker, east of 6th Street}. For tickets, go to ticketmaster.com or call 800-982-2787.
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