City Lit Presents EMMA’S CHILD Review — Bonds Happen

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City Lit EMMA’S CHILD
Left to right:  James Sparling, Kat Evans, MiKayla Boys, marssie Mencotti. 

Jean Farrell (Kat Evans) is nursing a glass of white wine which we infer is not her first of the evening, even if she isn’t yet full-frontal sloshy. She teases and cajoles her husband, Henry Farrell (James Sparling) to sing along to Xmas carols, though both his Jewish background and lack of vocal range present a handicap in doing so. At some point this banter mode fails Jean, and just as she is about to fall into an abyss of angst, Henry leaps from his chair and quickly moves to her side. He then protectively cradles Jean in his arm and with a slightly tremulous voice acquiesces to her request for a Xmas carol.

City Lit EMMA’S CHILD
Left to right:  Lee Wichman, Kat Evans, Maria Zoia

There it is laid bare—the love, the superglue of their marriage bond.

It’s the ability of a severely disabled newborn to summon deep bonds, or not, that is the driver of this story. For 16 years Jean and Henry had been on a path to become parents, and the severely disabled titular Emma’s Child is not what they had in mind. Jean, along with the intensive care nursing staff, relishes even the smallest steps the baby takes to survive. Henry, on the other hand, is repelled. For him, the enormity of their legal and financial difficulties in taking on the child is paramount—and perhaps even more, his appreciation of the emotional costs doing so entails.

City Lit EMMA’S CHILD
Jamie Black

City Lit Gives Outstanding Script Its Due

Add in the couple’s old friends whose marriage bonds have just dissolved, and playwright Kristine Thatcher gives us an X-ray of how bonds happen and un-happen. Don’t think of an old-fashioned X-ray machine that takes images from one static spot. Rather, think of 3-D imaging that slices and dices the heart of the matter from every angle. You too may especially be tickled by the script’s deep dives into the internal lives of its characters in what feels like real time. As Jean has a moment of self-awareness saying out loud, to paraphrase, “Oh, did I say my husband was an ogre?” we get walloped by her voice oozing both regret and surprise. Better, there is nothing about these characters that feels like they were exported from central casting. For those of us who savor the complexities of the real multi-dimensional humans in our address book, Thatcher especially delivers.

City Lit EMMA’S CHILD
James Sparling, Kat Evans

That we feel these script gems so powerfully, in this reviewer’s opinion, is in no small way due to the powerhouse performances of the two leads. It’s not only that they seem so real in the skin of their respective offbeat characters. More, it’s Evans’ and Sparling’s ability to convey with palpable realism the journey of this marriage in both good times and bad.

City Lit EMMA’S CHILD
Jamie Black, left, and James Sparling
City Lit EMMA’S CHILD
Andrea Conway-Diaz, left, and marssie Mencotti. 
City Lit EMMA’S CHILD
Kat Evans, left, and Rebecca Sparks
City Lit EMMA’S CHILD
Katie MacLauchlan, left, and Kat Evans

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CAST:

Kat Evans (Jean Farrell)
James Sparling (Henry Farrell)
Rebecca Sparks (Franny Stornant)
Jamie Black (Sam Stornant)
Katie MacLauchlan (Emma Miller)
Andrea Conway-Diaz (Vivian Rademacher)
marssie* Mencotti (Tess McGarrett, Dr. Helen Arbaugh)
Lee Wichman (Laurence)
MiKayla Boyd (Michelle)
Maria Zoia (Mary Jo)

Production Team:

Samantha Gribben (Scenic Design)
Louise “Scout” Gregory (Costume Design)
Benjamin Dionysus (Lighting and Sound Design)
Jeff Brain (Props Design)
Hazel Marie Flowers-McCabe (Stage Manager).

Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago.

WHEN:

Thru May 29, 2022

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 3 pm.
Mondays May 16 and 23 at 7:30 pm.

WHERE:

City Lit Theater
1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
Chicago 60660

TICKETS:

$ 29+

For more information and tickets visit the City Lit Theater website.

Photos: Steve Graue

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Amy Munice

About the Author: Amy Munice

Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.

Amy hopes the magazine’s click-a-picture-to-read-a-vivid-account format will nourish those ever hunting for under-discovered cultural treasures. She especially loves writing articles about travel finds, showcasing works by cultural warriors of a progressive bent, and shining a light on bold, creative strokes by fledgling artists in all genres.

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