Review: NEW AGE Takes a Hopeful Look at Aging at the MILWAUKEE REP

"We're supposed to get older," says Cass in Dael Orlandersmith's New Age. The play, currently on stage in the black box Stiemke Studio under the direction of Jade King Carroll, is the fruit of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's New Play Development Program. While other challenging pieces tackle racism or sexism, this one digs into ageism, specifically for women.

Young or old, women suffer a particular stigma at most any age. Young and dumb. An old has-been. Middle-aged clinging to youth. Sounds bleak, no? New Age unpacks these troubling stereotypes from the vantage point of four women of different ages. Each reflects on life in her own vignette, but the stories of the four are entwined through shared feelings, favorite music, and mutual support.

First is Cass, played with poise and captivating spirit by Lisa Harrow. Cass is a white woman in her 70s, cultured and vibrant. Her vignette is the Roman gallery at The Met in New York, a place that makes her feel alive.

Next is Lisette, a self-assured black author at age 80 who is now confined to a nursing home. Though her body is in decline, her wit and worldly knowledge are sharp as ever. She's played with spunk and fiery determination by Delissa Reynolds.

The third woman is Candy, an attractive would-be actress turned bartender. We meet Candy on the night of her 45th birthday, reminiscing about her days as a go-go dancer ("always classy") and her attempt to make it on the legitimate stage. Courtney Rackley plays this unapologetic mid-lifer with boisterous warmth and humor.

The last and youngest is Liberty, a mixed-race woman of 18, played by Blair Medina Baldwin with beautiful nuance, a hopeful spirit, and killer vocals and guitar licks. Liberty's passion is rock music. Her problem is an unsupportive mother from whom she seeks independence.

Each of these women take turns telling their story as they consider Orlandersmith's central questions: What does it mean to age? What does it mean to "come of age"? What does it mean to be female of a certain age? Musical storytelling, supported by Sound Designer and Composer Lindsay Jones, helps weave their experiences together, as do shades of shared feelings and universal truths.

Scenic Designer You-Shin Chen's framing brings significant impact to the stage. New Age features its four characters in separate spaces, but they're somehow connected through time and space. In the Rep's Play Guide, Chen says she was inspired by a painting of the Muses and created the set to be reminiscent of these women. "We have this circular pool with the three older-generation women around it. Like a fountain, they become statues there, while Liberty, being the youngest, and singing her heart out like a poet, is trying to find her way. And she visits these three women ahead of her time."

How deeply you feel about New Age will likely depend on your own age and gender identity. I happened to see the show with a cross-generational group of women. Upon exiting the theater, the vibe was reflective and perhaps a reluctant grappling with the uncomfortable truths about a woman's age in our society. "Getting old is a good thing," one friend mused. "It's better than the alternative!"

Personally, I left feeling one-part bummed that ageism is a problem in the first place, and one-part hopeful and grateful at the prospect of women like Orlandersmith and the characters she writes doing something about it. Whatever our age, we are stronger together. New Age encourages women of all generations to show their lines, reach for the lipstick, play wicked notes, and say loudly "I'm still here."

New Age runs through May 1st, 2022, at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. For info and tickets, visit milwaukeerep.com.