The Milwaukee Post

'I and You' delves skillfuly into the lives of teens,Walt Whitman April 13, 2018 • Milwaukee County Post • 17 ENTERTAINMENT By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE — Gender disparity is an issue that has emerged once again as a hot topic. Renaissance Theaterworks' present pro- duction of "Top Girls," under the direction of Suzan Fete, gives us an unusual take on the subject. Act I offers us the main character Marlene's fantasy in which she gathers togeth- er a group of famous women from the past to share a meal. The entourage includes an English explorer (Isabella Bird), a Japanese concubine (Lady Nijo), a peasant woman who was the subject of a Brueghel painting (Dull Gret), the obedient wife of a prince (Griselda), and a woman Pope (Pope Joan, who dis- guised herself as a man). Playwright Caryl Churchill's aim is to give us a taste for the various roles women have played over the years and their attitudes toward those roles. Each woman tells her story and the hardships involved, and even though it is rather confusing for the audience as they often speak over each other, one gets the gist of what life has been like for women over the course of history. A combination of pathos and humor, to be sure. Act II brings us into the presence of three successful job recruiters in the office of Top Girls. These women reflect the 1980s when women were beginning to move into more executive positions. But there is always a price to pay for this level of success, and we dra- matically see that here. The focus is on Marlene, beautifully played by Cassandra Bissell. She has just been promoted to man- aging director of the Top Girls Employment Agency, to the disdain of Howard Kidd, who expected the pro- motion for himself. In this scene we also meet two employees, Win and Nell, played by Karissa Murrell Myers and Libby Amato. We get a taste of the glamour and the emptiness of their lives. Enter Angie, Marlene's niece, who pays her success- ful aunt an unexpected visit. Angie, skillfully por- trayed by Elyse Edelman, is a mentally deficient teen of 16, who adores her aunt. Her visit prompts Marlene to visit Angie's mother Joyce, who lives in relative poverty and works as a cleaning woman. They have not seen each other for almost seven years, for they have chosen very different paths and don't have much under- standing of or sympathy for each other's lifestyles. This scene between the sisters is the most powerful one in the entire drama. The clash between different eco- nomic classes and opposing values erupts in frighten- ing, glorious splendor. It underlines the harsh reality of the inevitable conflicts between people over the def- inition of success, gender roles, and how to create an equitable society where each person has value and opportunities. The other four actors, all of whom take multiple roles, include Mary MacDonald Kerr (Pope Joan and Mrs. Kidd), Grace DeWolff (Kit, Griselda, Sonya), Jenny Wanasek (Isabella Bird and Louise), and Rachael Zientek (Gret and Jeanine). All tackle their roles with credibility. My takeaway from this somewhat disjointed but very creative look at the issue of gender disparity is that all people should be given many viable options as to their life choices, regardless of sex or age, that many times power engenders greed and cor- ruption, no matter who is wielding it. See this produc- tion. It will surely prompt some lively discussions. By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE — Lauren Gunderson, the most pro- duced living playwright in America, has delivered up a gem in "I and You," present- ly playing at Next Act Theatre, a company that has the reputation of staging thought-provoking dramas. A teenage bedroom catches our attention when the lights come up with its messy, choked-with-stuff look, but not as much as the young girl playing trampo- line on her bed as she dances to some of her favorite music with ardent fervor. (Good job, Heidi Salter and Shannon Sloan- Spice, property designers!) Suddenly appearing is Anthony, having been given permission to enter Caroline's private space by her mother. Anthony is car- rying a bag of waffle fries, a poster, and a book of Whitman's poetry. Walt Whitman is not on the cast list, but he is an important character in this complicat- ed story. Anthony is as much "in love" with this impressive American poet as Caroline is "in hate" with the world and all its trappings. She is skeptical, angry, and not at all receptive to all of Anthony's requests to pair up with him on a project due on the next day in English class. Unfortunately, Caroline has never met Anthony, having attended school very irregu- larly due to a debilitating liver disease. Anthony patiently bears the many insults that Caroline hurls at him and remains incredibly calm in the pursuit of his goal. In the sequence of their 90-minute conversation, we get to know all three of them — Anthony, Caroline, and Walt. Whitman's auda- cious, all-encompassing poetic style soon even begins to crack Caroline's hard protective shell. Gunderson's smart dia- logue is engaging, and the performances of Ibraheem Farmer, relatively new to the Milwaukee scene, and Christina Panfilio, an amaz- ing actress who has been performing in many the- aters for at least a decade but somehow can still pass as a very believable teenag- er, are both stunning. As they begin to trust each other, we learn of their angst, their differences, their fears, and their pas- sions. Though these two teenagers reveal very dis- similar histories, they even- tually find some commonal- ities, as is often true when any two people try to under- stand each other. We leave somewhat shak- en but also determined to give Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" another look. He would have been flattered to have made such a signifi- cant connection with these two young people and with all of us. Thanks to the art- ful direction of David Cecsarini. Ross E. Zentner Cassandra Bissell, left, and Libby Amato in "Top Girls," a Renaissance Theaterworks production. Ross Zentner Ibraheem Farmer, left, and Cristina Panfilio in Next Act's "I and You." 'Top Girls' gives plenty to think about on gender issues "Top Girls" The drama runs through April 29 in the Studio Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. Call 414- 291-7800 or r-t-w.com. At a glance "I and You" The play runs through April 29 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee. Call 414-278-0765 or visit nex- tact.org. At a glance

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