BWW Reviews: STRONGER THAN THE WIND: A Mother Prevails

Stronger Than The Wind

Written and Performed by Alice Manning; Scenic Designer, Alexander Grover; Lighting Designer, Kayleigha Zawacki; Sound Designer, Andrew Duncan Will; Stage Manager, Anna Burnham

Performances through April 5 as part of the Second Annual Next Rep Black Box Festival, New Repertory Theatre at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA; Box Office 617-923-8487 or www.newrep.org

Alice Manning takes the stage in her one-woman show Stronger Than The Wind as the middle of three plays celebrating women theatre-makers in New Repertory Theatre's Second Annual Next Rep Black Box Festival. It is a mix of light and dark, humor and pathos, but always compelling as Manning relates the most intimate details of her family's struggle to deal with the medical challenges of one of her twin sons shortly after his birth.

Manning's title is an apt metaphor as she and her infant are buffeted by medical ill winds of varying strength, going from one trauma to the next and drawing strength from faith and family, with minimal outside support. Even in the face of relentless obstacles, her internal reserves never run dry, driven by the single-minded focus on keeping her son alive. That she is able to tell the story in such raw detail with earnest openness is difficult to fathom, but Manning has a mission. She shares her discovery of the power of laughter and love to get through the darkest times, and finds a surprising number of occasions to incorporate humor in the show. Some of her best barbs are aimed at medical professionals ("Dr. Condescending-stein," "Dr. In-Your-Face") who lack social skills, and human service workers who are neither human nor provide much service.

There are approximately a dozen characters "sharing" the stage with Manning and she imbues each of them with specific traits, physical or vocal, so we come to recognize them when they reappear. It takes some of the pressure off of her and the audience to allow these other voices to augment the narrative, especially when it entails medical lingo and diagrams. The simplicity of Alexander Grover's set (a white curtain backdrop, a pair of straight-backed chairs, an easel and colored markers) draws all of the focus to Manning as the storyteller, and she sparingly uses recorded voices and music (sound design by Andrew Duncan Will) and projections on the rear curtain to flesh things out. There are many lighting cues (designer Kayleigha Zawacki) to reflect emotions, moods, and change of scene.

Stronger Than The Wind is a cathartic experience for Manning as both playwright and performer. Although it is her deeply personal story, it contains universal relatable elements. Without being pedantic, she lets us know that within every challenge or trauma there is opportunity for choice. Her choice was to soldier on, to move toward the light, and to always choose love.

Photo credit: Alice Manning (www.AliceManning.com)

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