Review: THE ART OF CARE at Mosaic Theater Company

Those looking for a break from ubiquitous election discourse can find a welcome reprieve at Mosaic Theater Company’s production The Art of Care, on stage now through November 24. 

The production, premiering now at Atlas Performing Arts Center, presents a set of interwoven stories gathered from the actors’ real lived experiences and from collected interviews with medical professionals, humanitarian aid workers, and more. The performers—an ensemble cast featuring Billie Krishawn, Raghad Makhlouf, William T. Newman, Jr., Tuyết Thị Phạm, Susan Rome, Tom Story, and Jabari Exum, who also skillfully accompanies on djembe throughout the show—share stories of illness, injury, loss, displacement, and more. 

The Art of Care is a rich and empathetic piece that feels right at home at Mosaic Theater Company. Its stories span time and distance, yet share the same thematic fabric. Human connection is fostered through moments of care: a stranger bandages a stranger’s leg, an aid worker watches an old man tell stories to recently orphaned children, a reader remembers the message inscribed to him in a beloved writer’s book, a doctor offers words of comfort to a dying patient and their family. Meticulously teased apart and woven back together, these stories form a tapestry—or a mosaic, if you will—of caregiving and care-receiving. We are all interdependent, the show insists, and the sooner we attune ourselves to each other’s needs, the better our world will become. 

As each actor tells their story, their companions on stage are just as attentive—rapt, even—as the audience. They bear their souls to one another, telling these deeply personal tales of love and loss. As an audience member, it feels like watching best friends reconnect after too long apart. Intimate, revelatory moments unfurl between the cast. Their trust in and love for one another is immersive. When one actor can no longer speak through their grief, another takes up the helm and continues the story. They hold each other, and cry with one another, and laugh, too. In this way, The Art of Care feels truly special. May we all find the courage to so readily take others into our care! 

The Art of Care is onstage for a limited run through November 24, 2024. Run time is approximately 90 minutes without intermission. 

Cover Photo: William T. Newman, Jr., Raghad Makhlouf, Tuyết Thị Phạm, Susan Rome, Billie Krishawn, Jabari Exum and Tom Story in Mosaic Theater’s production of The Art of Care. Photo by Chris Banks.

In-Text Photo: Raghad Makhlouf, Tuyết Thị Phạm and Susan Rome in The Art of Care. Photo by Chris Banks.

Conceived and directed by Derek Goldman, Scenic and CostumeDesigner Misha Kachman, Lighting Designer Venus Gulbranson, Projections Designer Zavier Taylor, Props Designer Chelsea Dean and Sound Designer Jabari Exum.

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