By Jennifer Mustoe, with Larisa Hicken
For my third trip this season to Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, I planned to see two shows. How to Fight Loneliness was my matinee choice. As I walked into the lovely Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, the mood was somber. I knew that Loneliness was a deep and gritty show. The staff assured me that yes, it’s a tough show. But they added reverently, “It’s so good.”
If I could simply write the words: Go See How to Fight Loneliness, and know you’d go see the show, I would. There is so much to say about this profound piece, but I want you to experience it for yourself. In trying to explain the show to friends after I’d seen it, this is what I said: It’s about a woman with Stage 4 brain cancer who wants her husband to kill her and take the pain away. He won’t–he loves her too much. They find someone who went to high school with this woman who has a possible ability to kill her. When speaking to my friends who I know can’t go to the show, I tell them the end of the play. In this review, I won’t do that. Again, I don’t want to give away any of the plot–something highly unusual for me. But you need to see this with no preconceived notions or expectations. It’s worth it for you to go in almost blindly.
In a nutshell, the themes in How to Fight Loneliness are these:
- What does it mean to truly love someone? Is it selfish to want to keep that person with you as long as possible?
- What is courage? What is weakness? Is it courageous to be able to kill your own spouse? Is it weakness if you can’t? Or won’t?
- Do we get to choose when we die? Why or why not?
- How do we really fight loneliness? Is this even possible? Should it be?
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When you see How to Fight Loneliness, you may see other themes. Those are the ones that resonated with me. The longer I think about the show, the more themes come up, and the deeper they are.
Director David Ivers takes three actors and creates such an amazing turmoil of feelings, the theater was filled with sniffling patrons within the first half-hour. Took me only 20 minutes. Ivers’ choices with this magnificent script, and how he choreographs the fight scene simply knocked me out–pun intended. I’ve never seen a fight like that. I wanted to run onstage and break it up, but with that amount of passion behind each punch, I’m not that stupid. Scenic Designer Alex Jaeger‘s inventive, organic set contributes much in the staging, setting, and tone for Loneliness. I’ve never been more aware of a set because of its simple beauty and perfection.
Tessa Auberjonois as Jodie is painful to watch in all the best ways. Who wants to have to face trying to find someone to kill you because you’re in so much pain? Each scene Auberjonois is in is filled with her emotional agony. It’s a tough role. One must show enough caring for others to not seem like a selfish jerk, but enough caring for oneself to justify requesting your own murder. I ached for Jodie and Auberjonois’ acting choices and Ivers’ direction make her poignant and painful.
Brian Vaughn as Jodie’s husband, Brad, is so fully committed, it was hard for me to see him as the same actor who played tough talking, velvet-voiced Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls last summer. And yet, he is. He’s just that good. Vaughn is restrained, patient, and horrified as Brad, who loves his wife to his very soul. If he could stay in denial, he would. He loves Jodie, but can’t kill her. So much turmoil. So much sadness. So much guilt, anger, raw pain. I admit, I’m a huge fan of Vaughn’s work, and even more so now. I was just blown away.
Corey Jones as Tate glows in this role. He is the most focused of the characters–there is never a conflict in him about what he is asked to do. He wants to “help” Jodie die. On the surface you think, is he just a creep? A bloodthirsty killer? You could think that, but his dialogue is so calm, so wise, so caring. I love Tate’s character and Jones gave me chills with his passion, his conviction, his caring, and his commitment. Jones owns this role.
I wish I could fully describe what transpires on the stage of Utah Shakespeare Festival’s How to Fight Loneliness. It’s like a living thing, which is the saddest pun of all. This thriving, swirling, mad whirl of life, passion, drive–it’s about death. Jodie’s hoped-for death. But it’s about love and courage and acceptance, too. It’s about a lot of things. Please do yourself a favor and see How to Fight Loneliness. This play is going places. Be one of the first people to see it performed with three amazing actors, under the direction of a brilliant director, on a glorious stage. And bring tissues.
Note: the content is not for tweens or children. Though the content advisory cautions about teenagers viewing this play, I’d take my teenager to this show in a heartbeat. There is strong language and a sad plot–no doubt–but the message of this play is wonderful and any sensitive teen could be positively affected by this show. My opinion only.
Utah Shakespeare Festival presents How to Fight Loneliness, by Neil LaBute
Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, 195 W Center Street, Cedar City UT 84720
Tickets: $50.00 and up, depending on time and day
Contact: 800-PLAYTIX
Utah Shakespeare Festival Facebook Page
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