Review: JUMP Challenges Us to Seek Deeper Connections, at Milagro Theatre

"How are you?" "Fine." How many times do we speak and hear these words every day, around the water cooler at work, in conversation with friends, in an exchange with cashiers or wait staff. But they don't mean anything -- no one's really "fine," and the person asking doesn't usually want to hear the truth anyway.

What if we changed that? What if we asked someone how they were and listened to the real answer? Could we help someone feel better, or even save their life? On the flip side, what if we told people how we were really doing, rather than just what we think they want to hear?

These are the questions at the heart of Charly Evon Simpson's JUMP, which is having its National New Play Network rolling world premiere courtesy of Milagro Theatre (now in its 35th season) and Confrontation Theatre (a relative newcomer on the theatre scene). The play explores the obstacles that we too frequently put between ourselves and real human connection. It's a gripping story, with plenty of surprises and a powerful climax. I thought it was terrific.

JUMP centers on Fay (played by Andrea Vernae), a young woman who is tasked with helping her father (WRICK Jones) pack up the family home following her mother's death. The family, which also includes Fay's sister, Judy (Jasmine Cottrell), hasn't fully processed the tragedy, either individually or together. Fay and her father don't see each other often, while he sees the bottom of a whiskey bottle on an all-too-regular basis. To work through her grief, Fay makes frequent trips to the bridge, which was a favorite spot of her mother's. There, she meets Hopkins (Charles Grant), a graduate student who is seriously considering jumping.

JUMP is about looking past other people's veneers to see what's really going on in their lives, and about caring enough not to let them get away with "fine" when you know they're experiencing grief. It's about suicide, but it's also about how powerful authentic human connection can be.

I recommend JUMP very highly. La'Tevin Alexander's direction is gutsy -- he leaves a lot of "loud, silent" space for reflection, allowing the audience plenty of time to consider what they might do if they encountered these same people standing on a bridge. All of the performances are strong, particularly Cottrell, who delivers the play's unexpected and emotional coup de grâce.

JUMP runs through April 13, so you only have one more weekend. More details and tickets here.

Photo credit: Russell J. Young

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