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| Sarah Rudinoff as Lisa Kron in “Well” at Seattle Rep. (Alan Alabastro) |
Sarah Rudinoff is a Seattle treasure as is writer/performer, Lisa Kron is beloved on a national level and with the production of 'Well' currently at the Seattle Rep, ii is triumph, even though getting there is little confusing.
I had thought this was a one woman show at first with Rudinoff (as Kron) talking to the audience and then we are introduced to her mother, Ann (Barbara Dirickson). (Kron's mother, not Rudinoff's).
Kron, the Tony-winning lyricist and book writer of musical “Fun Home” (the Lesbian musical), first made her mark in solo performance, and she starred in both the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of “Well.”
We learn that Lisa a directing a play and Ann wants to know what it is about. It is autobiographical, and claims it is not about her over-bearing mother. But is it really?
It is about that shaky relationship with her mother and not that she is older, who is taking care of who when Lisa has so many unresolved issues.
Growing up Jewish in a predominantly black neighborhood was one of those issues and how everyone loved her mother, but Lisa couldn't see what was right in front of her. Even the actors in her play end up loving her mother.
Another is Lisa checking into in allergy clinic for tests She also describes Ann’s tireless campaign to integrate their Lansing, Mich., neighborhood while dealing with her own deteriorating health.
The highlight, besides Rudinoff, is the appearance of Emma Blessing, playing a vicious elementary school bully, Blessing is a blessing as she steals every scene she is in.
When Ann reveals herself as (Actress) Barbara, we realize the whole play was all part of the act or a figment af Lisa's imaginative world. This may not have been a one-woman show, but the way Rudinoff was Kron, she might as well be, as she was the only one playing a character throughout the performance.
Seattle Rep's "Well" continues through March 5th. For tickets, Click HERE.
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