By Jason and Alisha Hagey
The World Premiere production of Hairy & Sherri has found a home at Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC), nestled in the neighborhood behind the Capitol building. After a successful showing in SLAC’s New Play Sounding Series (NPSS), Hairy & Sherri has arrived on their main stage with an acerbic sense of humor and a dark foreboding. The play is compelling, biting, and utterly enthralling. With remarkable tension, Hairy & Sherri keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.
Adrienne Dawes (Playwright) examines the failure of the United States foster care system, an institution that perpetually falls short of “good intentions.” Dawes navigates race and class, illuminating the racial prejudice and the failure of the foster care system to address the needs of low-income communities of color. She takes slice-of-life moments mixed with magical realism and creates a poignant and pointed play that comes across as understated and natural but hides behind its façade a terrifying reality. From the opening moments of the play to its stunning conclusion, Dawes’ Hairy & Sherri is captivating. Like the proverbial “car crash,” it is hard to turn our eyes away as the story unfolds and Ryshi’s fate becomes clear.
A unique blend of symbolism, moments of dance, and deep compassion punctuate Hairy & Sherri. These elements are a revelation from Vickie Washington (Director). Washington’s vision for Dawes’ play is a testament to the magic of theatre and the power of performance. Washington’s attention to detail and careful orchestration of every scene pushes the boundaries of the theatrical experience in ways that ask us, the audience, to not only watch a play but participate in the drama. She produces compelling imagery, unfolding what, at first, is a simple quotidian life. Over the course of the production, Washington slowly bares naked the underlying selfishness, the insidious nature of humanity in our modern era, and the great empathy many of us have but are powerless to put into practice.
When the lights come up, we meet Yolanda Stange (Vera), a foster care case worker who is overwhelmed with the load of work she must carry. Stange is on the phone, talking to someone unheard by the audience, yet she is able to capture our attention. Stange is perfection throughout. She conveys with astounding acuity a whole soul. Through her subtle expressions, her ability to turn a phrase, or her bearing, Stange is without affectation. She doesn’t act. She is Vera. Stange is an actor of profound genuineness – a true genius of the stage.
In Vera’s care is Kiirt Banks (Ryshi Speyer). Banks plays a twelve-year-old young man with undisclosed special needs that appear to border on autism or somewhere on that spectrum. He does so without bravado or stereotype, keeping the performance simple and full of grace. His gift is listening. Banks has this intense manner of listening to others with a beautiful openness, causing the audience to adore him, love him, and want to see him succeed in life. A grown man playing a much younger man is a feat to accomplish with any degree of believability. Banks does so with lovely distinction and excellence. Devin Losser (Ryshi Only) brings a youthful innocence to the role. He reminds us of the potential every foster care child should have to be a part of a loving, stable home environment.
The eponymous David Knoell (Hairy) and Wendy Joseph (Sharon/Sherri) are a couple seeking to foster and adopt a child. Knoell is happy-go-lucky, a recovering alcoholic that desires to be a loving and supportive part of his wife’s life. He is a striking member of the cast, unusual on many levels, and yet integral to Ryshi’s story. Knoell’s performance is a great contrast to the rest of the cast because he brings levity to life. He is jovial, authentic, and speaks what is on his mind. Knoell is a superb actor that connects with others and legitimately comes across as sympathetic.
With layers of complexity, Wendy Joseph exudes a full range of human emotions. Joseph is filled with the unfeigned profundity of character both understandable and terrifying in her relatability to wrench our hearts and turn our stomachs. Her balancing act of character traits and backstory is nothing short of amazing.
Our first introduction to East Austin is brilliantly offered by Michael Horejsi (Set Designer). Creating a stage that at once feels verisimilar and establishes this incredible sense of depth (all inside this 1896 former Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gymnasium) is revelatory. Horejsi ratches forward the apprehension of the play with subtlety. He uses the angles of the set to create visual uncertainty. There is anticipation in the multiple dimensions of the design and the effect is an aura of suspense.
Nancy Hills (Costume Designer) weaves nuance into every decision on stage. The design isn’t a spectacle, nor should it be. Rather, it is meticulously accurate to the intrinsic nature of each person. Hills understands the characters and their development throughout the story and complements their choices. Everything feels beautifully textured.
When you stand in the lovingly redesigned lobby at SLAC, you can see the familiar monitor showing you a peek at the stage. Jessi Portillo (Lighting Designer) already infuses the audience with emotion and begins to raise expectations. You catch a peak at Horejsi’s scenic design with the overlay of the speckled and softly fragmented light patterns creating strain. The creative team works together brilliantly.
The humor within the Sound Design by Joe Killian is a delight. From the underscoring of the foster/adoption list to a familiar (and always irritating) cellphone ringtone, Killian breathes life into his design.
Adriana Lemke’s (Fight/Intimacy Director) contribution is felt by the audience. The blending between the actors, Washington’s direction, and Lemke’s fight-intimacy direction is palpable. She sparks emotions of comfort and joy (at least for this audience member) and then she transforms those same actors, in similar circumstances, and creates power dynamics that leave me shivering.
Throughout the story, Ryshi holds a physical teddy bear close to his chest. For most of us, the teddy bear is a symbol of safety and security, an aid to quell anxiety and bring about peace. Hairy & Sherri plays with our ideas and familiar symbols; shifting our understanding of what makes real-life real. An example of what makes Hairy & Sherri so powerful is what Ryshi’s teddy bear becomes. Its connotation transcends the conventional representation and evolves into something sinister.
Hairy & Sherri is an unflinchingly accurate portrayal of the struggles and daily abuses children, social workers, and their support teams face. The glimpses into neglect are staggering. Hairy & Sherri doesn’t just take us through the painful quagmire that is the American Foster Care System, it delves into those who wish well, who want to do right, and who appear to be allies.
If you would like to get involved in donating and supporting Utah Foster Care, learn how to help at Utah Foster Care: Get Involved.
Salt Lake Acting Company Presents Hairy & Sherri by: Adrienne Dawes
Salt Lake Acting Company – Upstairs Theatre – 168 West 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84103
February 8 – March 5, 2023
Ticket Cost: $29-46
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. – $29
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. – $33
Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. – $43
Saturday at 2:00 p.m. – $33
Sundays at 1:00 p.m. – $40
Sundays at 6:00 p.m. – $31
Box Office Phone: 801.363.7522
Box Office Email: info@saltlakeactingcompany.org
Open 11am – 5pm, Mon – Fri
SLAC WebsiteSLAC Facebook Page
Open Captioned Performance
February 26 at 6pm
Audio Described Performance
March 5 at 6pm
Sensory Performance
February 18 at 2pm
ASL Interpreted Performance
March 4 at 2pm
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