By Jason and Alisha Hagey
With its World Premier in Salt Lake Acting Company’s intimate upstairs theatre, The Robertassey unfolds as a darkly whimsical odyssey through Dublin, where loss, love, and the strange poetry of grief intertwine in Roberta Mahoney’s journey. At thirty, jobless, and deeply disillusioned, Roberta arrives in Dublin with one purpose: to deliver her father’s ashes in a suitcase. Yet, the suitcase never arrives. Crafted by the brilliant, award-winning Kathleen Cahill (Playwright), The Robertassey (pronounced like The Odyssey) is a surreal, lyrical comedy that elevates a lost suitcase to the ultimate metaphor: symbolizing the burdens we carry, the legacies we inherit, and the narratives we construct about our identities. It delves into forgiveness – not the tidy and sentimental kind, but the messy, reluctant, almost delirious absolution that sneaks up on us when we get lost in a city that defies conventions.
With a playful flair, Penelope Caywood (Co-Director) and Hannah Keating (Co-Director) emerge as expert conductors of orchestrated chaos. Effortlessly, they turn the absurd into captivating moments. Ensuring every unpredictable turn feels purposeful, they deftly balance whimsy with exactitude. Working with a small cast, they excel in nuanced character development. From their versatile actors, they elicit multifaceted, vibrant performances with the inventive spirits of circus ringleaders.
Every movement Anne Louise Brings (Roberta) makes is intentional. Her performance is incredibly fluid, a natural balancing act between warmth and humor. Then there’s her allure. She is completely natural and unforced. Onstage, Brings exudes an openness like a familiar soul being released rather than a show. Likewise, Heidi Hackney (Carol/Fiona/Irish Woman) floats effortlessly between characters – first a heavily pregnant sister, later quirky Irishwomen – with unusual depth and surprising realism, even with the craziest character. What is probably the most outlandish is Hackney’s ability to cross between New Jersey and Irish accents at the drop of an Irish flat cap.
Darryl Stamp’s (Hiker/Bartender) attention to detail in shaping his characters and their particular mannerisms was a treat. Though he has costume changes, Stamp’s performance is such that he could wear the same thing throughout the play, and you would know which character he was. His performance as the dead father is moving while his bartender is impeccably subtle. Stamp was delicious during a transition where he put tea cups out. It wasn’t just the low-light movements of placing a prop for the upcoming scene. No. He quietly and quickly looked at the cups, shook them out, and placed them down – always in character. These details lace throughout the production, a deft nod to both actor and directors.
Without question, Eric Sciotto’s (Garth/Aemon) dual roles as the baggage handlers stand out. It helps that he has some of the best monologues in the show, but his delivery of those monologues takes them to whole new levels. Sciotto’s interpretation is a masterclass in unfolding an oration like a slow-burning fuse. He ratches up each beat, stacking each phrase, each action with increasing and deliberate precision and escalating intensity until he finally explodes with the most hilarious minutes of the show. Though you’ve probably heard his riff on reality before, you’ll never look at baggage claim the same way again.
Hitting us with a barrage of emerald green – lest we forget we’re in Ireland – Gage Williams (Set Designer) hones a dynamic set for a multiplicity of locations. The funny animal pictures in frames keep Hiker’s spirit in every scene. In conjunction with Anna Blaes (Props Designer), the locations come to life with suitcases everywhere. Using footlockers and suitcases to create locations, beds, etc., is ingenious and ever a reminder that we all have baggage.
Sound is a crucial element in The Robertassey, shaping the world as much as the action itself. Cynthia L. Kehr Rees (Sound Designer) and Jesse Portillo (Lighting Designer) work in seamless harmony. Together, they form an atmosphere that guides us through scenes and the moments of the faerie. The result is an experience that doesn’t just transport; it enchants.
La Beene (Costume Designer) is a sorceress of the seams with costumes. Weaving transformation into every stitch, Beene reflects the characters and has the mutability necessary for quick changes (including a rather hefty baby bump). Her work is delightful in transforming the world through people and personalities. She turns fabric and form into something utterly alive.
The Robertassey lingers like a half-remembered dream – strange, sorrowful, and unexpectedly laugh-out-loud funny. It’s a comedy all about grief. Cahill crafts a world where loss is elastic, memory is a trickster, and grief waltzes with absurdity. Roberta’s quest doesn’t end with easy closure but with something far more honest: the slow, begrudging realization that the past never stays put, and neither do we. It’s a play that refuses tidy resolutions, instead opting for a euphonious unraveling of identity, inheritance, and the maddening, beautiful ways we make peace with our ghosts.
The show is approximately 90-Minutes with No Intermission
Salt Lake Acting Company, Utah’s Premier of Robertassey, by Kathleen Cahill
Salt Lake Acting Company
168 West 500 North
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
(801)363-7522
Salt Lake Acting Company Home Page
info@saltlakeactingcompany.org
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Feb 5th – March 2nd, 2025
Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 PM
Sunday performances at 1 PM and 6 PM.
There will be a Tuesday evening performance on Tuesday, February 18th at 7:30 PM, and a Saturday matinee performance
on Saturday, March 1st at 2 PM.
Tickets are $20-45 and can be purchased here or through the Ticketing Office at (801) 363-7522 during regular business
hours, 11 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday.
Email: info@saltlakeactingcompany.org
Accessibility Information:
Open Captioned Performance
February 23rd at 6 PM
Audio Described Performance
March 2nd at 6 PM
Sensory Performance
March 1st at 2 PM
ASL Interpreted Performance
March 1st at 2 PM
Production Partnership:
SLAC is proud to partner with Caring Connections for our production of The Robertassey.
More information on Caring Connections can be found here.
SLAC’s Green Room Gallery:
We invite you to visit our Green Room Gallery before or after the show! Our Green Room Gallery is a collective endeavor between community and artists. In keeping with SLAC’s mission to nurture our local creative community, we celebrate the reinforcements born between the visual and performing arts. We are pleased to present the artwork of Queer Whimsey and Jerusha Vox. All sales go directly to the exhibiting artists.
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