Review: HIR at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Post-show, Director Shana Cooper readily admits that the cast and production team spent the first half of rehearsals just wrapping their heads around Playwright Taylor Mac's world. HIR, pronounced "here," is about transition on a macro and micro level.

Hir is an inclusive pronoun, a rejection of gender-specific pronouns in favor of non-binary gender pronouns. The pronouns Ze/hir/hirs (rather than she/her/hers and he/him/his) are an acknowledgement that gender is a spectrum and that every genderqueer person has a right to choose how they are addressed.

Now, hir is my review.

Isaac (Joseph J. Parks), a meth addict, returns to his childhood home after serving overseas in the Marines Mortuary Affairs Unit.

Arnold (Mitch Hébert), Isaac's abusive Father, suffered a stroke in his absence. He shuffles around in clown makeup, wears a pink dress and clown wig, and a sweater referred to as "sparkle kitty." Isaac's mom, Paige (Emily Townley), is Arnie's tormentor (she force-feeds him estrogen) and the architect of a new house/world order. Or rather disorder.

Paige's rallying cry: "Paradigm shift!!!" She has her own job at a not-for-profit and revels in art and self-improvement. She happily informs a shocked Isaac that "we" don't do cabinets or order. Not anymore. Not here and not hir.

The thing to understand about Isaac is that he loves order. He wants all the body parts. On the other hand, Paige can't even bring herself to address Isaac by all the letters in his name - referring to him throughout HIR as "I". Paige takes on the task of explaining to Isaac that there is a new world order, there is a new lexicon, a new alphabet. She mocks Isaac's sense of propriety, informing Isaac of all the development's concerning his brother's enlarged clitoris.

Isaac's teenaged genderqueer brother, Max (Malic White), forces Isaac to confront the personification of their new world and new home. A brave, gender-fluid warrior, Max is still a teenager, caught between a big brother that ze adores, a domineering mother, and a violent father in need of compassion.

As insane as it sounds, Isaac and Paige are willing to accept Max as genderqueer but is ze butch or is ze a sissy? Will Isaac reconcile his values with those of family or will they move on without him?

Townley and Hébert are both veteran Woolly company members. Hébert's role is mostly silent and relies largely on physical comedy. Even when all eyes aren't on Arnold, Hébert is still a busy dark comedian with a dramatic focus that is rare. Townley is exceptional as Paige, a role that is so "up" that it requires considerable emotional investment.

The role of Isaac requires astounding physicality and energy. Luckily, Parks has energy to spare. White's Max stands out as the calm within the eye of the family storm. I know, I'm talking about a teenager (and ze does yell) but ze is learning and ze is authentic. White is a proponent of non-binary gender pronouns and their personal quest resonates in their performance.

HIR is a family drama set in a living room in California. Isaac's childhood home is in no way indistinguishable to the millions of Americans raised the proverbial "starter home."

Isaac's reverence for the order of his childhood home is in one sense no different than traditional society's reverence for the past. But like Isaac's childhood home, HIR is an ackowledgement that the world is changing; ze/hir/hirs are popping up on tv and in literature, movies, and theatre.

Misha Kachman's set is the physical world I am not brave enough to create for myself. There are unwashed clothes on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink. When you are pioneering a new world order, who has time to do the dishes? Hundreds of set pieces, including colorful, glittery, and feathery arts and crafts projects and a garden gnome hang from the ceilings and garland the floor. The level of detail of the set is mind-boggling. Is there order within the disorder? For the production team, there probably is. Maybe the disorder the order? HIR is its own beast: a world within a world.

Lighting Designer Colin K. Bills, Costumer Designer Ivania Stack, Sound and Music Designer James Bigbee Garver, Fight Choreographer Robb Hunter, Production Dramaturg Olivia Hallery, and Production Stage Manager John Keith Hall round out the production team.

HIR is the conscientious absurdist's guide to confronting "the world order." It's crazy watchable, like some kind of substantive, impactful, topsy-turvy sitcom. Mac's characters are flamboyant and talk very loud about all the things that our parents told us not to discuss in public. And it's wonderful!

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours, including one intermission

Advisory: Adult themes, strobe lights, strong language, violence

HIR runs through June 26th at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company located at l641 D St., NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets click here.

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