Quality of Life
When is a caricature not a caricature? In Jane Anderson’s world, for one thing. Opening at the Arena Stage in Crystal City is the playwright’s The Quality of Life, directed with great zeal by Lisa Peterson.
Transcending a partisan stance on the characters and their motivations, what starts as a lively dark-comic farce evolves into a two-hankie finale that lingers in the best of ways. When compared to Joy Zinnoman’s difficult foray into Pinter’s Moonlight (at Studio Theatre), Anderson’s play should gain a larger appreciation from astute audiences. ’Moonlight’ is a puzzle, and ’Quality’ serves as a clever solution.
Dinah (Annette O’Toole) and Bill (Kevin O’Rourke) are a married couple from Ohio, who have found their lives shaken by the recent grisly murder of their teenage daughter Cindy. Finding ways to keep themselves occupied, they pay a visit to sunny California, where Dinah’s cousin Jeannette (Johanna Day) has been dealing with the spreading cancer of her crunchy-granola hippie husband Neil (Stephen Schnetzer).
To make the situation worse, Jeannette and Neil’s house was set ablaze by a wildfire, so they camp outdoors in a yurt - and while the show gives a proper explanation, it’s a portable hut from Mongolia.
Although we have two couples sharing in similar griefs, they are stratospheres apart. Dinah and Bill are born-again Christians who find comfort in needlepoint and group prayer, while Jean and Neil are proclaimed atheists who like to procure on medicinal marijuana.
Their lifestyles are put at a standstill as they cozy up in the middle of a charred redwood forest, which serves as a stroke of set design genius from Neil Patel. It also suggests a feral setting for the characters, all returning to a world of neutrality; it’s a place to sort things out, and where screaming doesn’t wake up the neighbors, just the birds. Surrounded by trees, salvaged silverware, melted glass recyclables, and a pot vaporizer, these are all touches that scream social stereotypes.
But what’s fascinating about Anderson’s writing is how well it deconstructs the spectrum. It questions motives and reasons behind God and death without being preachy, and never lets either ideological axis have the last word. Perhaps this explains the playwright’s national appeal, whether it be her work for AMC’s ’Mad Men’ (earned her a WGA award) or the independent Julianne Moore vehicle ’Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio.’
Peterson’s direction keeps the blood pumping in the scant scenery, where the audience cannot literally miss the forest for the trees. Yet detail is key, and viewers will be rewarded for their given attention - but the laughs pile upon themselves in Act I that there shouldn’t be much to argue with in Act II.
Dramatic strokes are not in stark contrast with its comedy, however, since the cast’s own reelings of minutiae and marital troubles translate into a deep appreciation for their roles. No stone is left unturned after the surprise twist at Act I’s end, and there is much to be said about the cautious discussion of love and life - even if it means breaking down comfort zones and being brutally honest with itself. The story, if written by anybody else, could have fizzled into an ephemeral dramedy. Instead, Anderson is gently squeezing herself between the loose-end lunacy of David Lindsey-Abaire, and the postmodern realism of Donald Margulies. Kudos to Anderson, to Peterson, and to the cast of ’Quality of Life’ - this is a must-see.
The Quality of Life runs September 11th to October 18th. At Arena Stage in Crystal City, 1800 S. Bell St, Arlington, VA. Tickets are $27 to $64. Call 202-479-9420 or visit the Arena Stage website.
