“You can’t have it all,” mourns a new mother in Lisa Loomer’s thought-provoking comedy, Living Out. The show, which premiered in 2003 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, recently made its Wisconsin debut at Milwaukee’s Boulevard Theater. In essence, Living Outis an exploration of modern women who are confronted by the conflicting demands of careers and motherhood.
It’s surprising that this engaging play has taken so long to make an appearance here. It can be hilariously funny one moment, then poignant the next. (The ending is downright depressing, but more on that later.) The dialogue is crisp, clever and nicely delivered by an eight-person cast under the direction of Beth Monhollen.
Two couples, living on opposite sides of Los Angeles, give the play its focus. One couple, both liberal-minded lawyers, is in the process of hiring a nanny for their newborn. On the other side of the coin are an immigrant husband and wife. They are trying to make ends meet by taking jobs “under the table” until their papers are finalized (a common occurrence in Los Angeles). The wife, who was studying to be a dentist before a civil war forced them to flee El Salvador, is a mother herself. She has two boys. One of them lives in the U.S. with her and her husband; the other lives with a grandmother in El Salvador. The older boy is 11. She has not seen him in eight years, and his recollection of her is dim. A portion of the money she hopes to earn as a nanny will someday allow the older son to rejoin his family in Los Angeles.
Before the two mothers meet, Loomer launches an extremely funny series of nanny/employer interviews that could have come straight from the popular book, “The Nanny Diaries.” The well-dressed, well-to-do mothers are privileged and pompous. They toss off a number of inadvertent ethnic insults that Ana, their prospective nanny, attempts to ignore. Actors Julie Alonso-Calteaux and Brooke Wegner, as the mothers, attempt to give depth to their stock characters. Ana, the nanny, discovers that having her own children is a “deal breaker” for getting hired. This situation typifies the irony that playwright Lisa Loomer investigates throughout her play. Why do wealthy women insist on hiring experienced nannies who will devote themselves to their children yet have no families of their own? How are the nannies supposed to learn the qualities that would make them good candidates for the position? But life isn’t perfect for the mommies, either, as Nancy finds out. Rachel Lewandowski shows Nancy being a crackerjack lawyer but also an inexperienced new mother. Unlike the more experienced mothers, Nancy confesses to Ana that she doesn’t even know the right questions to ask during their interview. However, the two hit it off and, eventually, Nancy learns more about motherhood from Ana than she ever imagined.
Nancy tells her husband that she is determined not to get sidelined on a career “mommy track.” She wants to make partner someday. Her husband (played by Jason Will), who earns far less, would prefer her to stay at home. Ironically, this same situation is played out by Ana and her husband, Bobby (Nigel Wade). He says it hurts his pride to see his wife leave for work every morning; she pleads that the extra income will help reunite the family sooner.
The two couples are credible in their relationships, although Loomer shows a definite preference for Ana and Bobby. As Ana, Marion Araujo shows both her character’s caring and feisty sides. She makes the audience root for Ana from the beginning. Nigel Wade provides a nice balance as the husband. Bobby is proud of his low-paying jobs and treats his wife in tender, loving ways. They share a close physical and spiritual connection – moreso than Nancy and Richard.
Loomer offers “instruction” to both women via their friends. However, Rachel’s job is somewhat of a threat to the stay-at-home moms she meets on the playground. And Ana’s Spanish-speaking nannies, who hang out at a similar playground, are a bit envious of Ana’s nice-looking car. Loomer mines both situations for maximum comic effect.
Given the generally upbeat nature of Living Out (the play’s title is taken from a term for nannies who live outside their employer’s homes), the ending disappoints by being more melodramatic than necessary. Aside from this slight detour, Living Out is a real-life lesson in the challenges that mothers must face, no matter where they live or how prosperous they might be. And the Boulevard cast does a fine job of making magic with this script.
