(OUTview NW) RE-view: REED's Performance in Seattle Rep's 'Luna Gale' is "Authentically FAB"!

Reed is Convincing! (Alabastro)

by MK Scott

It isn't very often when an actress is so perfect in a role that it becomes bigger than the material of the play, that is what I felt when seeing Pamela Reed play Social Worker, Caroline in Seattle Rep's production of Rebecca Gilman's "Luna Gale", directed by SRT's artistic director, Braden Abraham. Now I have seen Reed numerous times including,  SRT's "Who's Afraid of the Virginia Wolf?" and ACT's "Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike", but it is this performance in 'Luna Gale', Reed is at her finest.

Caroline (Reed) is an Iowa social worker tasked with deciding who should raise an infant taken into protective custody after the baby’s young meth addicted parents failed to seek prompt medical attention for her.

2 of Seattle's Powerhouse Actresses (Allgood and Reed)

The young Mother, Karlie (the FAB, Hannah Mootz) is forced to get her mother, Cindy (the always FAB, Anne Allgood) to come forward and after passing the initial tests, Cindy wants full custody of the infant and starts talking religious fundamentalist garbage, with the aid of Pastor Jay (Adrian LaTourelle), that concerns Caroline to the point she needs to get involved in making sure wise-cracking Karlie and her gentle boyfriend, Peter (The super cute, Drew Highlands) clean up their act. Caroline’s obnoxious supervisor and saboteur, Cliff (Alex Matthews), disagrees.

It is obvious that Caroline knows her job and is able to read people very well and catches on to a family secret before knowing for sure that it is true.

It is fun when Caroline, is forced to pray with Cliff and Pastor Jay, and uses that to get the upper hand.

We also learn that just because a foster child turns 18 as in the case with Lourdes (Pilar O’Connell) heading to college, Caroline gives Lourdes a little Teddy Bear as a diploma, but Lourdas' story isn't a complete success.

Caroline makes her decision!  (Alabastro)

I have experience with foster care, I remember being 8 yrs old, when my mother was asked to take in her troubled 14 yr old sister and then fully understanding that my own mother was a foster child and picking up my aunt from the social worker's office.

The set by Michael Ganio is an incredible revolving set that moves like a conveyor belt and the florescent lighting fixtures remind you of the bright light being constantly in that light from Hospital to office to courthouse back to office.

Overall, it is Reed's performance, along with the timely subject matter that makes this a MUST-SEE!

Seattle Rep's Luna Gale by Rebecca Gilman continues Through March 27, Click HERE for TIX.