Play takes deeper look at familial relationships

  Laurelgrove Theatre Charlotte Brooker
(left) and Elizabeth Bauman are sisters Dolores
and Kathy in "Crying Rocks," running through April 22 in Studio
City.

By Esther Pasternak
Daily Bruin Contributor

A good Narragansettian mother would take the correct approach in
dealing with a weak newborn baby ““ put the child in a cave
and leave the baby there to die.

Of course, this ancient practice from the Narragansett tribe in
Rhode Island is not practiced today. However, even though
today’s society does not take actions to ensure only strong
children survive, the play “Crying Rocks” incorporates
this legend into its storyline to raise questions about how society
treats its weaker members.

“Crying Rocks,” playing at the new Laurelgrove
Theatre in Studio City through April 22, focuses on the
relationships between four sisters and their mother. After a
traumatic event that forces them to spend an emotional 24-hour
period together, each woman must confront her own suppressed
emotions, as well as underlying family tensions.

The play opens on a calm Sunday afternoon while Sandra
(Stephanie Ittleson) enjoys time alone in her apartment. Her sister
Dolores (Charlotte Booker) unexpectedly bursts into the room
seeking shelter from her abusive husband. While Dolores begs to
stay with Sandra, the third sister Mary Ann (Kara Pacino) enters
the apartment.

A chaotic misunderstanding ensues, where Dolores thinks her
husband entered the apartment, and then the fourth sister Kathy
(Elizabeth Bauman) enters and frantically announces she just saw
the news and learned someone shot Dolores’ husband. Even more
shocking is Dolores sudden declaration that she is the one who shot
him. This forces the family to unite and deal with the murder, and,
in the process, they must confront deep familial problems.

The second scene begins with the four sisters and their mother
entering a cabin. The audience learns the sisters picked their
mother Vera (Jacqueline Scott) up from a dance and then drove until
a thick fog forced them to stop for the night.

Trapped in two cabins, the family has no choice but to speak to
each other and discuss sensitive topics. In several emotional
scenes the women discusses physical abuse. These conversations are
so touching that an audience member can almost physically feel the
punches and slaps the sisters describe.

The acting in “Crying Rocks” is so moving it is
impossible not to react strongly to the play. Each of
Dolores’ gestures and emotions appear natural and the depth
in Vera’s eyes is chilling.

The intimate theater draws the audience deep into the play. It
feels as if each member of the audience is sitting in the cabin
along with the family. At times the theater feels claustrophobic
with emotion and pain filling the theatrical cabin. Furthermore,
the tension in the theater is as thick as the fog that traps the
family in the cabins.

The use of humor in the play effectively exonerates the painful
mood frequently felt throughout the duration of the play. The
characters use humor to hide their pain and vulnerability, which
makes the scenes even more powerful.

In one scene, Sandra and Mary Ann laugh about how their mother
was once infuriated with Dolores when she was a child. Eventually,
Sandra pauses and wonders why they are laughing since the situation
isn’t really funny.

Later, in an especially important moment in the play, Vera uses
humor to avoid confronting how significant the present moment is.
She says jokingly, “Times like this I wish I had all
boys.” The way Vera downplays the situation and refuses to
accept her family’s problems adds more tension to the
story.

The powerful ending of the play grips the audience so strongly
that silence fills the small theater. The ending forces the
audience to turn inward and wonder about their own interactions
with their families. Watching Dolores in such a hopeless and
vulnerable state makes everyone wonder why her family was not eager
to help. Even though society no longer kills weaker people like
Dolores when they are infants, the play suggests society eventually
neglects them until they ultimately face the same fate.

THEATER: “Crying Rocks” runs until
April 22. It plays Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with the
cast described, and Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. with a second cast.
It plays at the Laurelgrove Theatre at 12265 Ventura Blvd. in
Studio City. Call (818) 760-8368 for reservations and
information.