Cry It Out

Jessie and Lina are both new moms and newly moved into adjacent duplexes on Long Island. Their baby monitors extend just far enough to let them meet in their backyards, but not far enough to go into each other’s homes while their babies take a nap. The mix of connection and isolation of being a new mother is the center of Theatre Above the Law’s new play, Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler.

The strongest part of the show is the rapport of its lead actors, Allyson Womack as Jessie and Danielle Rukin as Lina. It starts as just the desperate need to talk to any adult, and eventually they are sharing frustrations and encouragement and the tips and tricks that have gotten them through the day. They understand each other in ways their partners don’t, but the differences in their lives present their own challenges. Jessie wants to stay at home rather than return to work, and wonders how to tell her husband. Lina doesn’t have the luxury of that choice. She has to go back to work to help keep their household afloat. The play is most successful here watching two friends muddle through being there for each other while being complicated and imperfect.

The pair are settling into their routines and planning for the next stages of their and their children’s lives when another neighbor and new parent, Mitchell asks if his wife Adrienne can join their coffee dates. Adrienne has clearly been struggling with being a new parent and Mitchell hopes some friends who understand will help her. Adrienne is very well portrayed by Cat McGee, but I think the script falls a little short for her. Adrienne’s story goes to some interesting places about imbalanced expectations for mothers versus fathers, but it falls into the trap of mostly happening offstage, with Adrienne entering to tell us about it later. I understand why a 90-minute one act is going to stay in one location, but moving to let Adrienne and Mitchell take the stage together for longer stretches would have helped give their story some more stakes for the audience.

The show is at its strongest when it lets Jessie and Lina just exist as friends and new mothers. As the show does a good job of portraying, it’s a time when their lives, their bodies, and their emotions have undergone some huge changes. They love their children but not necessarily everything that comes with being a parent. Filtered through Lina and Jessie’s new friendship, that all gets dramatized quite nicely. The show falters a little when trying to pull in too many perspectives from too many people, but this was still a charming show.

Recommended

Reviewed by Kevin Curran

Presented March 10 – April 2 by Theatre Above the Law at 1439 W. Jarvis, Chicago.

Tickets are available by going to www.theatreatl.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.