In the final months (we hope) of the long Covid pandemic, one of Milwaukee’s scrappiest theater troupes, The Constructivists, is back on stage after a 20-month pause. Their fourth season opens with Wink, an edgy, absurdist comedy by Jen Silverman. Although this dark comedy should be taken very tongue-in-cheek, it does raise important questions about the nature of relationships (both human/human and human/animal) and what we do to survive in this crazy world. The play also demonstrates that there is indeed more than one way to skin a cat.
The plot focuses on a loveless married couple, Sophie (Rebekah Farr) and Gregor (Ekene Ikegwuani). The play is set in the living room of their contemporary home. In assessing their quality of life, both partners agree that they work very hard all day – Gregor at the office, and Sophie at home, as a 50s’ -style housewife. But are they truly happy?
As the play begins, Sophie is frantic about the sudden departure of her beloved cat, Wink. She grills her husband about the cat’s disappearance, as she knows he has never liked their pet. Gregor just shrugs off her inquiries and attempts to change the subject. (At this point, the audience already knows that an annoyed Gregor has indeed skinned the cat and buried it in their backyard.)
It’s clear that Gregor has never heard the adage about cats having nine lives. Far from dead, Wink (played with an exquisite feline mastery by Jaime Jastrab) emerges from the dirt. (It must be noted that his cat-like abilities were enhanced by Acting, Intimacy and Movement Coordinator Laura Sturm). Due to Wink’s strong sense of smell, he finds his way to the nearby office/home of the couple’s psychologist (Matthew Scales).
It is wise not to ask too many questions about this play, such as why the couple is seeing the doctor independently instead of together. Or why this particular cat (perhaps a refugee from the musical,) has the ability to talk. Not only does Wink keep up his share of the conversation, he also drinks wine and knows his way around town. Does he call an Uber to get from place to place?
Theater of the Absurd is nothing new, of course. It has been a staple of international theater for more than half a century. The “granddaddy” of all absurdist plays is Waiting for Godot (1953). Other classics in this genre include works by Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Harold Pinter and Edward Albee, among others.
Silverman, a relatively young and popular New York playwright, is attempting to enter this genre with Wink. In this regard, she is only partly successful. Silverman is better known for plays such as The Roommate; (which was staged in this very theater in 2019 by Renaissance Theaterworks).
Still, Wink has something to offer for those who are willing to take this fantastical, unexpected journey.
It doesn’t take long for the fur to fly. As Sophie, Farr segues from her boring conventional life to something far more exciting and exotic. At first, she creates a phantom intruder/attacker to explain her messy apartment to Gregor. Over time, she actually becomes this imaginary intruder. In Sophie’s mind, the intruder suddenly becomes a terrorist with intentions of world domination that would rival a James Bond-style villain.
Gregor, on the other hand, goes off the rails in a far different way. Under the direction of Constructivist Artistic Director Jaimelyn Gray, Ikegwuani gets some of the show’s biggest laughs as he emerges in this more primitive persona.
This production might have started out on a quieter note to give characters more emotional room later in the play. Scales, as the doctor, gets into a rather heated argument right off the bat with his patient, Gregor. A more laid-back, “heard-it-all” attitude during this initial consultation may have given the doctor more emotional room down the road. Gregor also responds with more vigor than necessary.
Through all the nonsense that follows, Jaime Jastrab retains his calm, unruffled demeanor as Wink. He’s a cat who follows his instincts, wherever they make take him. According to the playwright, we humans can learn something from that approach.
