Review: THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

The Thing About Jellyfish

Book by Ali Benjamin

Adapted by Keith Bunin

Directed by Tyne Rafaeli

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Berkeley Rep’s World Premiere of Ali Benjamin’s coming of age story The Thing About Jellyfish is a tremendous technical achievement highlighted by an impressive lead performance by Matilda Lawler (HBO’s “Station Eleven” and “The Gilded Age,” The Ferryman on Broadway) in the role of Suzy. Prescient for today’s audiences, this story of love, loss, grief and resilience can be appreciated by all.

When Suzy’s Best Friend Franny (Kayla Teruel) drowns, she’s left bereft and inconsolable, Not just that she lost her besties, but because they were on the outs when it happened and that makes it infinitely worse. She responds by going mute and flinging herself headlong into a school report on jellyfish, who she believes can be the only excuse for her friend’s death. Flipping between her bleak reality (broken family, grief and a propensity to ‘constant speaking’) and her imaginary search through the five steps of the scientific method is a journey to ultimately learn the hard lesson that in life, shit happens. For a young girl that means random acts, chaos and fear.

Matilda Lawler carries the show admirably with a face that reflects both naiveté that deepens into a realization about life that she can live with. She will combine her mother’s (Stephanie Janssen) compassion, her father’s (Andy Grotelueschen) reason and her science teacher’s (Christiana Clark) determination. Keith Bunin’s adaptation and Tyne Rafaeli’s direction have transformed the book into a visually stunning stage play. The technical crew (Yasmine Lee (Movement Director/ Choreographer), Derek McLane (Scenic Design), Linda Cho (Costume Design), Lap Chi Chu (Lighting Design), Dan Kluger (Sound Design), Lucy Mackinnon (Projection Design), Jamie Harrison (Special Effects)) have outdone themselves with floor to ceiling graphics of oceans, jellyfish, a forest and a Chinese restaurant, wonderful lighting  and slick staging.

The Thing About Jellyfish delves into a young girl’s wonder with a topic she believes will satisfy her need to explain a tragedy. When she comes to terms with her loss she realizes we are not like the unchanging ancient jellyfish – we understand change and self-awareness which allows her to grow up rather quickly. It’s a life lesson we can all learn at any time.

The Thing About Jellyfish continues through March 9th. Tickets available at berkeleyrep.org  or by calling 510-647-2949.     

To post a comment, you must register and login.