W;t - Hypnic Jerk Theatre at Theatre in the Round

photo: B. Russell Photo

 W;t, written by Margaret Edson (and also sometimes spelled as "Wit"), is a co-production between the somewhat new (since 2014) Hypnic Jerk Theatre and Theatre in the Round. Considering that Theatre in the Round has been producing shows since 1952, it is a great melding of old and new. In a similar way, W;t tells the story of a woman melding the old and the new - the old being the metaphysical poetry of John Donne, and the new being her experience with stage four ovarian cancer. The play was originally produced off-Broadway in 1998, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999. It is very deserving of that honor.

The story is of Vivian Bearing, a 50-yr old professor of 17th century poetry - specifically the poetry of John Donne. She finds out that she has stage-four ovarian cancer and decides to help out research by taking part of a treatment study, a very aggressive treatment study. We find at the start of the show that she is nearing the end of her life, in fact she makes a point that the show is only 100 min, and that therefore she doesn't even have two hours left of her life. Bearing starts to tell us how this came to be, about her life, and about poetry, language, living, God, and dying. It is a brilliantly written script that changes times and places, but is still makes certain the audience knows what is happening. This production is also brilliantly directed by Kari Steinbach, with a cast led by the incredible Joy Donley. Donley enters and makes sure that the audience is comfortable, providing some laughter, while drawing us all into this journey that we are about to witness. Donley and Steinbach continue to find moments of levity in a show that can be challenging. Vivian Bearing has not been an easy professor, and somewhat gave up human relationships for the study of language and literature. We see scenes of Bearing in class, being very strict, and we understand her reasons, and we understand her passion for the poetry, and the study. It is clear at the start that study is what her life is about and so that is why Bearing joins the treatment study - so that her life will continue to be about study (though she is now the subject of the study). As the show progresses, we learn more about Bearing, and we start to see a shift in her. Donley was truly amazing in allowing us to see this subtle shift as Bearing starts to see the importance of kindness, and connection to people. Honestly I am not sure I have seen such a powerful performance in a very long time.

photo: Anya Magnuson

Donley is joined on stage by a fairly small but strong cast. Brian P. Joyce plays her oncologist Harvey Kelekian, while Dominic DeLong-Rodgers plays Jason Posner, the lead oncology research fellow who is taking charge of the study. Bearing's nurse is Susie Monahan, played by Gillian Constable. Bearing also mentions her professor E.M. Ashford (played by Meri Golden), who inspired Bearing to really dive into the work of Donne. Rounding out the cast are Alex Church, Luke Peterson, Ben Qualley, and Kelly Solberg; playing various lab technicians, students, and residents at the hospital where Bearing is being treated. While the show is dominated by the character of Bearing, naturally, I found that Posner and Ashford both, as characters, have a similar shift as Bearing - they both realize something about how they have been living, and I saw growth in both characters. There are some truly touching scenes with Constable, and Golden interacting with Donley. Steinbach's directors note sets the tone of the evening perfectly: ..."It conveys the simple idea that Vivian cannot hide from this battle behind her intelligence and wit, but it is only through her vulnerability and humanity that she achieves a measure of solace." Go see this phenomenal production, and incredible cast!