Review: GOING TO A PLACE WHERE YOU ALREADY ARE a Touch of Heaven at Theater Alliance

At the opening of Bekah Brunstetter's latest play, Going to a Place Where You Already Are, we meet Roberta and Joe, a mature couple, both confirmed atheists, sitting in the back pew at a memorial service and giddily mocking the whole God thing as if they were 5-year-olds. It's a charming portrait of two adults so loving, so perfectly matched that they finish each other's sentences. So far, so good; but a twinge or two hints at trouble to come.

Next we encounter a young couple, post-hook-up, lounging around lazily in bed. The girl has second thoughts about the boy for reasons that play out memorably, and movingly, as he asks for his wheelchair and struggles to make the transition from bed to seat. The tension of a typical "morning after" scene is heightened by the realization that this guy is getting dumped because of what she sees, not because of who he is. They do not part on easy terms; but this being a play, you know we'll see them flesh out their relationship further in the scenes to come.

Meanwhile a fifth figure-tall and lanky-lurks, witnesses all, and waits. This presence, ghostly from the beginning, reveals itself to be an angel-the ebullient, charming Alan Naylor-whose chief purpose is to guide Roberta as she makes her passage from this life. The cognitive dissonance that occurs when Roberta realizes she has a soul, and that it's about to move on to a better place-the very place she and her husband mocked so hilariously just moments before-creates the central tension in the action that follows.

At stake for both couples in Going to a Place is the fundamental question: are we good people? And even if we tell ourselves over and over again that we're jerks, that we have no soul and not one scintilla of empathy for anyone but ourselves, could it be that we're still decent people after all? Sometimes the shock lies not so much in our cynicism but in the realization that the pose is a lie, and that goodness and soul were always there, in our hearts, from the git-go.

Anchoring the cast is Annie Houston as Roberta; her performance as a cancer patient making contact with the Beyond is positively radiant, and memorable. Gregory Ford offers a compelling, sympathetic performance as her husband Joe, the clinical psychologist who struggles to accept the profound change in his wife's outlook on life and death. Tricia Homer, meanwhile, is whip-smart as Joe's grand-daughter Ellie, the chain-smoking millennial whose witchy demeanor may yet hide some traces of decency, if given the chance to reveal itself. The role of Jonas, Ellie's hook-up, allows DC audiences a first look at MacGregor Arney, a California-trained actor who is definitely one to watch. Jonas' sardonic sense of humor and his stubborn refusal to leave Ellie alone provide audiences with some of the most endearing moments in the play.

Brian Gillick has created an in-the-round setting, with pieces easily rolled in and out and marking easy transitions from church to tony upper-middle-class home to cramped apartment to ... well, to an afterlife that is surprisingly familiar, under Mary Keegan's nicely-executed lighting. Kara Waala's costumes capture our moment nicely, and Matthew M. Nielson provides his own subtle musical score (along with a familiar golden oldie or two).

Brunstetter has considerable chops when it comes to creating dialogue in a variety of modes, and her skills are once again in evidence here; those of you lucky enough to see Oregon Trail (Flying V's contribution to the women's festival last Fall) will be pleased to know that she is continuing to grow as a writer. That there is room for further growth is evident, however, in her reliance on a series of all-too-familiar tropes here, most of them to do with angels, redemption and the conversion of souls. The play does itself no favors by falling into patterns that are instantly recognizable for anyone who has watched flicks from the genre of what you might call "Angel Cinema," from Wings of Desire to Oh, God! to, well, you name it.

It's not Brunstetter's optimism that's an issue here; it's actually quite refreshing to see someone comfortable talking about spirituality in such an upbeat way. Going to a Place is heart-warming and has profound moments of empathy, but could use more complexity. There are simply too many moments when your mind is distracted by the realization of "hey, didn't I see that bit in ....?" But her work bodes well for the future, and here's hoping that she remains in regular rotation in Washington theaters.

Production Photo: Tricia Homer as Ellie (left) and Annie Houston as Roberta. Photo by Daniel Corey.

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes with no intermission.

Going to a Place Where You Already Are runs June 2-26 at the Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE, Washington, D.C. For tickets go to www.theateralliance.com

For newcomers, the Anacostia Playhouse is five blocks from the Anacostia Metro on the Green Line, and just across the 11th Street Bridge. For directions see: http://www.anacostiaplayhouse.com/getting-here/.

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