[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of the Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company’s 30th anniversary production of Keely and Du by Jane Martin, directed by HCLAB associate artistic director Bryan Keith at the Art of Acting Studio in Hollywood.
I’m not sure a more timely play for myself or the bigger half of the world could have been written right now. Keely and Du chronicles the relationship formed between two women, one vehemently pro “life” and the other a pregnant rape victim kidnaped by a radicle pseudo-religious organization in order to prevent her from seeking a legal abortion. We find them both in a basement room. Keely is chained to a bed, and Du, her guardian and caregiver. Over the months they spend together they form an unlikely friendship and Du begins to doubt her position, as the religious “pastor” and leader visits and chastises Keely repeatedly, abusing her verbally and physically. But as the story develops, we discover that even more sinister plots are at play.
This play is difficult to watch at times. I’m sure I’m not alone in reacting to this play in a visceral and deeply emotional way. It’s really engineered for that I suppose. But still, it’s tough to watch a woman chained to a bed being forced to carry a child for the sake of someone else’s so-called values. That being said this is a very well-crafted and terrifically acted play. The stress is artfully increased over time and the relationship between Keely and Du seems real and quite poignant. Du has been radicalized it’s clear and she has no idea just how traumatized Keely is or if that fact was ever even considered when she was picked for this “experiment.”
We all read about this kind of possible event in the news, I’d be surprised in fact if something like this hasn’t already happened. But to see it played out on a stage is something far more effective than a quick news item. Interestingly I didn’t feel sure about the play’s position on the subject, but perhaps that was one of the points it was making. It’s murky, it’s difficult, it’s nuanced, it’s a struggle, it’s a hard choice to make and harder still to live with…but all of that is for the woman and no one else. She carries it all with her long after her choice is made and executed. But it is for her alone to carry and for her alone to choose. There can be no ambiguity about that!
Keely and Du is 30 years old this year. 30 years ago we had more rights than we do now if you can believe it…I wonder what prompted the playwright to write this story back then. Live theatre has a power that goes far beyond film or the purely written word. When you see a play, especially one as powerful as this it changes you. It gets into your head and stays there, whether you want it to or not. Performing something as controversial as this at a time such as this just makes it all the more profound. All the more challenging. Sadly it is a challenge to even think about abortion, which is of course actually healthcare. Weird that the pro-“life” side thinks that kidnapping a woman and forcing her to grow an unwanted baby inside them has anything to do with being pro “life.” But these wonderful actors do such a great job of playing their roles utterly convincingly and with perfectly balanced layers of real, it becomes much more about the individual characters and their relationship to the truth than it does about religion or morality.
Keely and Du is a fine exercise in individualism. It pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable or fair. It asks a lot of questions, which is clearly missing sometimes, from both sides of the argument. It’s also a brave play to produce. It’s going to cause more than a few raised eyebrows and fire up a lot of discussions and that is a very good thing!
Talking about our rights over our own bodies is the most important thing any of us can do right now!! But what you can do at least is support live theatre and the chances it takes to bring you work like this…Bravo!!
Where:
1017 N Orange Dr, Los Angeles
When:
July 31-August 17
Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30pm
Tickets:
https://ci.ovationtix.com/34736
The Cast
(in alphabetical order) Teodora Avramovic, Nike Doukas, Sara Eklund, Grace Ruble, Maurizio Russildi, Sean Spann, and Niek Versteeg.
The Team
Set design is by Johnny Patrick Yoder, lighting design is by Raymond Jones, costume design is by Aja Morris-Smiley, sound design is by Carter Dean, and properties design is by production manager Fadhia Carmelle Marcelin. The assistant director is Michelle Bonebright-Carter, the fight choreographer is Jen Albert, and the graphic design is by Casey Morris. The stage manager is Mary Leveridge.