Reviewed by Judy Richter
The Bay Area is awash in world
premieres at three of its major companies. First there was "Clementine
in the Lower 9"
at TheatreWorks,
followed by "Bellwether" at Marin Theatre Company. Although both have much to
recommend them, the best of the lot is Berkeley Repertory Theatre's entry, "How to Write a
New Book for the Bible" by Bill Cain, who also happens to be a Jesuit priest.
In
this autobiographical two-act play, the main character is the playwright
himself, Bill Cain, known to his family as Billy (Tyler Pierce). He contends that because the
Bible is mostly a family story, he wants to write a new Bible book based on his
own family. And right from the start, Billy, the narrator, assures the audience
that his is a functional family. Even though family members have their share of
tiffs, the anger seldom lasts long. The prevailing emotion is love between and
among the parents, Mary (Linda Gehringer) and Pete (Leo Marks), and their two sons, Paul (Aaron
Blakely), the
elder, and Billy.
The
central action concerns Billy's return to his hometown of Syracuse to care for
82-year-old Mary, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and who has only
a few months to live. She has been on her own because Pete, who also had
cancer, has already died and Paul is a teacher in El Paso, where he lives with
his wife and children. Mary and Paul don't seem to recognize Billy's writing as
a real job.
Events
shift between the past and present with important events in the family's
history. In the meantime, Mary's condition deteriorates. Blakely and Marks
portray other characters as needed in these scenes.One of the more moving past
events concerns Paul's wartime experiences in Vietnam and a years-later visit
to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The
action takes place on Scott Bradley's minimalist set with lighting by Alexander V.
Nichols,
costumes by Callie Floor and sound by Matt Starritt. Director Kent Nicholson guides the fine ensemble cast
with a sure hand. Gehringer's feisty Mary relishes sports on TV and sneaks
cigarettes in the bathroom even as she becomes weaker and more wracked with
pain. Pierce's Billy is the dutiful, attentive and often exasperated caretaker
who willingly leaves the stimulating environs of New York City and returns to
dull Syracuse for her sake. Blakely as Paul and Marks as Pete show their
versatility in creating peripheral characters.
Because
Cain doesn't soft-pedal the progressive toll that cancer takes on Mary, the
play might be hard going for those who have witnessed a similar situation with
a loved one. On the other hand, he doesn't get maudlin. He weaves lots of humor
into the play, especially on Mary's part.
Basing
his script on a diary he kept during his stay in Syracuse, Cain has written a
loving tribute to his entire family while providing an absorbing evening of
theater. From Berkeley it will go Seattle Repertory Theatre, which is co-producer of this
memorable world premiere.
For More Information
Return to Home Page