By Shirley Lorraine –
According to experts, one in four people cope with some sort of mental health issues. That is a staggering statistic. The current offering at the Rubicon Theatre in downtown Ventura is an emotional roller coaster that will leave you breathless and enlightened with an exploration into one family’s battle with a loved one’s delusional state.
A true memoir written by Ojai resident Sharon Scott Williams, the play dives deep into her harrowing childhood in the Southern railroad town of Roanoke, Virginia, as she experiences her mother’s descent into a seemingly bottomless well of despair. Too much for a child to understand, she outlines and re-lives how her mother’s challenges deeply influenced and altered her family and her entire life. She questions the meaning of “normal” and if such a thing really exists.
As her mother, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, endures the ever-changing array of treatments offered throughout the next few decades, the family also endures in their continual quest for a “cure” that continues to be just out of reach.
Gifted stage and screen actor Linda Purl single-handedly brings sixteen different characterizations to life as she relates the story. Purl’s performance is simply mesmerizing, taking the audience on a journey filled with confusion, heartbreak, love, terror, and hope from the first moments. The ride is a wild one that reaches into a melee of emotions and reactions as her life unfolds.
Directed by Anson Williams, Golden Globe nominee and husband of the author, the entire project delivers a stunning result that lays emotions bare and craves understanding.
The Rubicon is well known for breaking down barriers and presenting subjects that are common but not commonly explored. With Crazy Mama, another Rubicon World Premiere, yet another wall is crumbled. This extraordinary, introspective piece is brave, captivating and exposes realities frequently kept hidden.
An additional feature is the presence of Blues Man Will Huse, lending occasional haunting musical emphasis, sometimes up front and sometimes in the shadows. This works extremely well with the artistically broken board setting behind the single chair center stage used by Purl. The production elements of lighting, projections, and subtle background noises to punctuate the action, are flawless.
Despite the devastating content surrounding aspects of severe mental illness in all its glorious reality, the play also offers many humorous moments, illustrating her family’s foibles and personalities. In times of grief, laughter is a healing compnent. And necessary for survival.
Once again, the Rubicon delivers a work and performance of meaning.
Crazy Mama continues through April 13. Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday April 2 and 3 evening performances will feature talkbacks with Purl and mental health professionals. www.rubicontheatre.org or 805-667-2900.
