Review: MAKE BELIEVE at Dobama

 
In his program notes, Dobama Artistic Director Nathan Motta states of MAKE BELIEVE, now on stage at Cleveland’s Off-Broadway theatre, “[it] is one of the best scripts I’ve read in my time at Dobama. After I read the play for the first time, I immediately contacted Ms. Wohl to share how fantastic I thought it was and to express my hope that we’d be able to produce it in the future. That’s the only time I’ve done that in my career. The structure, ideas, dialogue, characters, aesthetic, and storytelling are just phenomenal. It’s a play that feels both familiar and unique. It’s funny, moving, thought-provoking, and personal. For a cast and creative team, it presents numerous challenges, but the richness of the writing makes all the efforts well worth the work.” 
 
Normally, I agree with the very theatre-knowledgeable Motta, but, I must somewhat differ from him with his evaluation of MAKE BELIEVE.
 
On opening night, I found the first segment of the production excruciatingly slow and word-heavy.  
 
The first 20-or-so minutes found four cute, young people “playing house” for a very long, long, long time.  As the scene went on and on, in spite of some laughter, the audience around me were wiggling in their seats, coughing, and generally lacking involvement.
 
All I could think of was, how many times are those kids going to pop in-and-out that tent of sheets, do the same verbal routine over and over, continue the ear-splitting dog barking, repeat the dad going off to work tale with mom preparing food and daughter futzing over her doll?  Where is this going and when will it get there?  
 
When I find myself carefully visually examining all the props imbedded in the set, I know the action is not holding my attention.
 
I kept thinking that these issues could be solved with a good red pencil, capable of crossing at least ten minutes of the beginning scene.
 
Yes, exposition was needed to lead up to the resolution segment, but . . . well, no need to go further, point made.
 
On the other hand, the second half, when the “adults” take over, the tension and effect of the play flipped in, the writing was more sparce and to the point.  I paid attention.  I got emersed in the characters and story.  
 
MAKE BELIEVE takes place in the attic of a family’s home where four young siblings (Chris, Kate, Carl and Addie) recreate their lives in games of make-believe. Meanwhile, the world beneath them appears to hold a more ominous reality.  

In the second half of this intermission less play, following a funeral.  It is 30 years later. We discover how the children have turned out and the effects of their traumatic childhoods. 

Taking refuge from their father’s second family, the children, now adults, they are in hiding in the attic which does not seem to have physically changed one bit. 

Kate, a gastroenterologist, is an anxious type, continually taking a drink of wine, and worrying about things that are beyond her control. 
Addie, a mother, is a television celebrity, with a low tolerance for stress. 

Bitter Carl arrived late as his plane was grounded due to a fog in San Francisco. He has missed the funeral and denied the opportunity to give the eulogy. 

Each lives as far from their childhood home, as they could possibly have gotten.

Also present is Adult Chris, a non-family member, whose reason for attendance is not immediately clear, but eventually we realize his presence is important in understanding life of one of the family members.

(I’ll pause here in the story exposition, and examine the production, as revealing more of the story would be a disservice to those who will see the production.) 
 
The production is directed by Motta. 
 
The young cast members, Arthur Atwell (Chris), a University School 7th grader, Kaitlyn Bartholomew (Kate), who has appeared in 20 different performances, Jonah McMurdy (Carl), an 11-year-old Woodbury Elementary School student, and Claire Zalevsky (Addie), a fifth grader at Laurel School, do as a creditable a job as they can for youngsters who take on roles that require understandings and skills well-beyond their years and experiences.  
 
The adult members of the cast are universally excellent in developing the persona of the people play.   
 
Kudos to Courtney Brown as Adult Kate, Anjanette Hall as Adit Addie. Andrew Pope as Adult Chris and Paul Hurley are Adult Carl.  Harley’s belated eulogy speech was the dramatic highlight of the evening.
 
As is constantly a problem at the “new” Dobama, with its long skinny stage, people seated extreme right and left often can’t hear the lines.  Oh, for microphones to help carry the sound.
 
The set, with its many props is impressive.
 
Capsule judgement: MAKE BELIEVE is play with a compelling premise, especially in this era of multi-dysfunctional families and days and nights of angst.  With some careful cutting, and some extra-time spent working with the younger members of the cast, based on comments of reviews of other productions of this script, this may have been an exceptional experience.  As is, the production makes for a thought-provoking evening with some lacking staging and writing qualities.
 
MAKE BELIEVE runs October 16-29, 2023.  For tickets go on line to  www.dobama.org or call 216-932-3396.

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