Milwaukee Rep's world premiere of Charles Randolph-Wright's The Night is a Child succeeds on many levels. Elements range from painfully realistic to almost mystical. It is the story of one family's tragic loss but also of a middle-aged woman discovering herself for the first time in her life. It is a story of journeys, both real and introspective.
The main character is Harriet Easton, a suburban Boston housewife and widow. One of her three children has been involved in a terrible tragedy the type ripped from today's headlines. Michael, her son, enters a day care and kills a number of the adults and the children before turning the gun on himself. He leaves no note behind, and the family is left to speculate what caused him to spread so much grief.
The play takes place almost a year after the killings. Their "typical" family seems to unravel from the stress. They become increasingly distant from each other, as each member deals with the situation in his/her own way.
In addition to Harriet, there's a son, Brian, and a grown daughter, Jane. Brian starts drinking heavily after his brother's death, to the detriment of his marriage. Jane tries to shield her young sons from the aftereffects of an event they can't quite comprehend.
It is Harriet, however, who longs to let her spirit fly beyond her family's troubles. She fulfills a lifelong dream by flying solo to Brazil, a country that always has fascinated her.
On the warm, sundrenched beach she meets a local woman, Bia. Gradually, Harriet opens up to this kind stranger. Before the play is over, Harriet takes Bia's advice and learns to let go and dance to the samba rhythms that seem to reverberate in the air.
Playwright Charles Randolph-Wright tosses in some interesting twists. The surviving brother, Brian, is actually the killer's identical twin. He can't accept that he didn't sense what was going through his brother's mind prior to the killings. Also, because his brother's face has been splashed across every newspaper, Brian is recognized everywhere. Jane, too, confesses that she feels "creepy" going out in public. She is crushed when a good friend, whose young daughter was one of her brother's victims, passes her by in the supermarket without saying a word. The antidote to all this sadness is expressed by Bia. She understands how sorrow and joy can co-exist in the world. She urges Harriet to get beyond the "whys" to accept that the event happened and there's no changing it -- or understanding it.
Actor Elizabeth Norment gives Harriet a kind of grounded sensibility. Her flight to Brazil was carefully planned; it was not an impulsive act.
Norment brilliantly portrays a dazed woman who seems trapped in a nightmare she cannot escape. Even the allure of Brazil does not provide the distraction for which she hoped.
As her friend, Bia, Lanise Antoine Shelley seems to have completely absorbed her character. She is so natural onstage that one easily forgets she is playing a role. She exhibits the strength and kindness Harriet so desperately needs, and the fluidity of the Brazilian spirit.
At Harriet's request, Bia takes her to a religious ceremony practiced by the locals, known as Candomblé. The scene of this ancient ritual is wonderfully staged and lit. Harriet joins the gathering, not knowing exactly what is in store for her. Eventually, she is reunited with her children, who have launched a frantic search for their mother.
As Brian/Michael, Tyler Pierce handles a tricky double role with aplomb. Jane, is straitlaced and always in charge. As played by Monette Magrath, Jane makes a believable transformation to a less rigid personality. The play takes place on a bare stage. Its floor has been decorated in a Brazilian pattern that seems to have been painted on cobblestones. This keeps the focus on the characters rather than the scenery.
A sense of exuberance in The Night is a Child draws the audience toward something hopeful. It helps that the young playwright is a master storyteller. This one is not to be missed.
