BWW Reviews: Cape Playhouse's THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN

How does one go about explaining what playwright Eric Coble describes as "the speed of the end?" Assuming a person knows what the end looks like and how it will come about, the mere realization that each of our lives will someday end and that we must deal with the complete decay of who each of us once was as that life fades away is daunting; it's almost too finite yet still so simple an idea to understand completely.

So, what would a woman faced with the elimination of all that she has ever been do when confronted with the prospect of change - a change that will destroy her foundation but improve her life to the extent of prolonging it in a personally undesirable way? What happens when what is apparently "the end" has still yet the power to embrace the beauty a woman holds within her heart, and even more so allows something not so beautiful to bring about once again that which was so ensconced in the fear of losing who she once was?

As this person approaches her own demise, she may not control how inevitable her end is, but Coble believes that such a person with such an undying spark of life in her can forever separate the finite from the infinite - that which will be lost and that which can be salvaged, and from this are audiences treated to Coble's poignant show about love, loss, and what fluid is floating at the bottom of those glass jars.

The Cape Playhouse begins its 89th season with The Velocity of Autumn; directed by Skip Greer, this is a beauty of a story written by Eric Coble and now brought to the Playhouse following its recent Broadway run. For those of you who have yet to experience simply walking into the Playhouse, it is a mix of the past and present all beneath one roof. Founded in 1927 and remaining the oldest summer stock theater in the country, the Playhouse is a professional venue which includes an eclectic selection of shows which have cast many famous actors throughout the years. The theater itself combines that which was and what now is - coincidentally very much like the theme of Coble's show.

Beth Fowler starts as Alexandra, a seventy-nine year old woman of failing [physical] health who must confront her belligerent children who refuse to leave her be because of their belief that she is unfit to care for herself any longer. Fowler, who is now on the popular Netflix series Orange is the New Black, and who originated the role of Mrs. Potts on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast while also being recognized as Mrs. Lovett in the 1989 revival of Sweeney Todd, is soon joined by her one and only co-star David Mason, who plays her estranged son Chris. Mason, who has an impressive resume full of both Off-Broadway and regional appearances, has not seen his mother in two decades, as he is immensely unhappy with himself and feels that keeping his distance from his family is the best way for them to remember him as he was; he is very much his mother's son. With his two obnoxiously anxious siblings waiting on his every action from the pavement below, he enters his childhood home through the window and is greeted by his less than welcoming mother - a woman who simply wants to be left alone.

The show begins with the son's intention of proving to his mother, on behalf of her three children, that she should not be left alone in the family's Park Slope brownstone; she, of course, is extremely cynical about the prospect of dying and even welcomes the possibility of dying, so long as it is within the place she has called her home for forty-five years. Velocity's plot revolves around the end goal of acceptance, and in the process of getting there does it almost play out the stages of loss and grief. In coming to terms with why she is so sad and how she and her son are truly one in the same person (although he has left his mother's side for nearly twenty years, she wants to be left alone and vehemently denies her own son entrance to his childhood home. She is an angry woman who wishes for the company of merely herself and does not want the world to believe she has lost her mind; she would rather die than turn into the "crazy" woman her children make her out to be.

Chris' attempt to relocate his mother against her will turns into something violent, saturated with allusions of memories which would make any parent's heart ache, followed by moments when Alexandra is able to tolerate her Chris' presence and have a civil conversation with him, ultimately coming to see him as her equal. Yet, the form of acceptance to be found in this show is not one of defeat; it is one of triumph, and the way in which Coble brings this twist about is something brilliant. The show is so profound and meaningful that it seems impossible for the playwright himself to not have felt what his characters feel at some point in his life; he truly has a gift of capturing the true essence of a feeling and its effect on another person, and this is truly the sign of a wonderful playwright.

This show would not be what it is without the two brilliant actors who can be called nothing but brilliant and every word in the English language that means the same thing. Beth Fowler is an absolutely mesmerizing, talented and beautiful actress. The talent that Coble has of making emotions live on stage through his dialogue is equal to the ability Fowler has of expressing it to the point where everything that her character feels is also felt by the audience. Each step along her journey is experienced by the audience as if she was telling a story which happened to her the day before instead of five, ten or twenty years ago. Watching Fowler is like watching someone who is so good an actress that the art of acting doesn't seem to take any effort anymore; instead, watching Alexandra come full circle from where she began at the play's start is truly brilliant to behold because of how engaged she keeps the audience.

David Mason is no different. For ninety minutes, he has the incredibly tedious and anxiety-ridden job of keeping his mother's temper at bay while also attempting to do what he originally intended without her blowing up the building. In moments of despair, he becomes so angry and heartbroken by his failed attempts, only to recuperate with such ease to try again and again to connect with his mother; it becomes more of a process of reconnection for him, which is a major change from his singular, myopic goal of going in, succeeding and being the hero of the story. There are different moments throughout the play where Coble has Chris telling a story to his mother, and I can't believe how I was conscientiously able to tune out every thought in my mind to listen to this man speak. He is another actor with the gift of the spoken word, and every emotion he told of was grueling, wrought with either the deepest feelings of pain, regret and on occasion, happiness when speaking of his childhood. He gives a riveting performance, and watching both he and Fowler undoubtedly makes for one of the best plays you will see this summer on Cape Cod.

No matter how bad things get, the beauty that each individual holds within never leaves the soul, regardless of how bad the body or mind may decay. Life is seen here in the larger sense, but Coble does something beautiful by portraying it on a smaller scale in trying to find the simplest form of what should be: a mother content, speaking with her son. Things that should be aren't anymore, and to change one's mindset into believing they can be again is almost impossible; yet, what we store in our hearts is what truly matters, and if that life exists, one does not have to approach the end at top speed; maybe the end isn't even in sight.

The Velocity of Autumn began performances at the Cape Playhouse on June 16th and will run thru June 27th. The Playhouse is located at 820 Main Street in Dennis Village and has tons of on site parking. Please visit capeplayhouse.com for the performance schedule. Tickets may be purchased by either visiting the website, going to the box office or calling (508)-385-3911. Ticket prices vary, but regardless of what you pay, it will be worth it.

Enjoy the show!

Photo Credit: Mimi de Quesada

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