The Grown-Up, Pulitzer Prize finalist Jordan Harrison’s play, now on stage at convergence-continuum in its Ohio premiere, uses fantasy to explore how quickly life changes and, therefore, that life is too short to miss any moment of it. The play asks the fundamental questions of life, such as whether it is possible to balance our earlier innocence with adult experiences?
The script, which premiered at the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville in March, 2014 as a part of the Humana Festival, centers on ten-year old Kai, who is given a “magical” crystal doorknob by his grandfather that enables him to open “doors” that allow him to travel through space and time to see future events in his life.
As he goes from experience to experience, including meeting a pirate, writing award-winning scripts, discovering his gay sexuality, becoming disabled and reconnecting with his sister, the less he feels like he’s seeing into his future, but more that he is living life as most people do, much too quickly.
While the story is not linear in its development, it’s not difficult to follow. The clear staging and pace, as well as being up close in con-con”s intimate space of about 25 seats, with noone more than three rows from the runway stage, aids in being involved in the intimacy of the action.
The six-person cast, who change characters, age and sex, requires the audience use their imaginations to accept the premise of Harrison’s writing.
Mike Frye, who plays Kai at every stage in life, must not only be a child, but a jaded author of stories, an adventurer and an ill and later dying man. Logan Andrews plays the cabin boy who brought the crystal to Kai’s grandparents’ house as well as Kai’s boyfriend in a scene in which his feelings for his lover change from bemusement to exasperation and fear.
Natalie Lambo plays the same character at two very different stages in her life. She’s a little girl at the start of the play and an old lady at the conclusion. Each member of the non-professional cast — Mike Frye, Natalie Lambo, Logan Andrews, Katelyn Cornelius, David l. Munnell and Jack Matuszewski — is believable in their many roles, developing clear characters.
The show is effectively staged by Amy Bistok. Clyde Simon’s projections aid in creating clear images of the set for many scenes
Capsule judgment: The Grown-Up, while fulfilling con-con’s purpose of expanding human imagination and extending the conventional boundaries of language, structure, space and performance, continues the pattern of presenting challenging plays that fit their core audience. As with most the theater’s offerings, this play is both challenging and thought-provoking. It is a quick and interesting experience.
The Grown-Up, about 90-minutes long and staged without intermission, runs through Saturday Nov 4 at the Liminis in Tremont. For tickets go to convergencetoninuum.org