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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Bad Books Also see Susan's reviews of Fake It Until You Make It and Uncle Vanya
Scenic designer Meghan Raham emphasizes the focus on Holly Twyford, Kate Eastwood Norris, and the two women together on a slowly revolving set with audience seating on the sides of the set. (This may be a trend, since the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Uncle Vanya is staged in a similar, audience-intensive way.) The most important thing about Sharyn Rothstein's play is how it subverts audience preconceptions. The Mother (Twyford) could be a caricature of overprotectiveness, challenging her town's librarian (Norris) for giving her 15-year-old son a book she finds offensive and potentially damaging to him, but Twyford shines as she reveals surprising layers while the action continues. She plays the single character throughout the 90-minute drama while Norris also appears in two other roles. While the issue is timely, Rothstein has not written a "ripped-from-the-headlines" story about the dangers, or benefits, of specific books or censorship. She's digging into how each person is entitled to her or his own opinions, and how sometimes individuals have to look beyond their own experiences rather than believing that difficult issues can be resolved with a single easy solution. Meghan Raham's set is simple–the revolving stage floor provides shifting perspectives on the furniture and performers, surrounded by circular bookshelves (illuminated in a neutral greenish color) above and encompassing the acting area. However, the program explains that members of the Round House community donated and loaned more than 1,500 banned books to fill the shelves, along with more than 700 faux books created by the creative team and staff. Twyford and Norris have worked together before, most recently last year in Summer, 1976 at Studio Theatre, but here they are creating roles in a new work. Their interactions are dead-on, their rapport continuous and engaging, and Ivania Stack has costumed them in ways that visibly emphasize their differences. The play is being presented as part of Round House's Bonnie Hammerschlag National Capital New Play Festival. Through the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere program, the company is staging the play along with theater companies in Florida, Michigan, and Denver. Bad Books runs through April 27, 2025, at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda MD. For tickets and information, please call 240-644-1100 or visit www.roundhousetheatre.org. By Sharyn Rothstein Cast: |
