There was probably a time when you vowed that you would never be like your parents. Whether it was phrases like "because I said so" or refusing to extend an 11:30 curfew, children often came back with the defiant exclamation, "Well, it won't happen to me!"
Then, 10 or 15 years down the road, you notice eerie instances where your actions uncannily reflect your parents' sentiments. This is the feeling that Astrid Rodriguez '07, director of the Masque and Gown presentation of Christopher Durang's "The Marriage of Bette and Boo," hopes to evoke from audiences this weekend.
The play is an autobiographical portrait of Durang and his family. Durang tries to make sense of the world through the reflections of the narrator, Matt, who is the son of Bette and Boo. Matt shifts time and place in his recollections as he tries to figure out where he's been and what he's become.
"The Marriage of Bette and Boo" stars Caitlin Hylan '09 as Bette, Jay Tansey '07 as Boo, and Joseph Babler '10 as Matt. The tech team includes Genna Duplisea '09, Susie Kimport '09, and Rachael Leahy '07.
Rodriguez said that the play is especially significant for the college-aged community, as many students are beginning to notice shades of their parents' behavior in their thoughts and actions. She hopes that the performance leads the audience to think about family and come to grips with the possibility that students are beginning to behave like our parents. This is not an attempt to make everyone depressed?though these kinds of thoughts do make us question where we are going and what we have done. This kind of introspection might have a positive effect and help students understand their elders a little better.
The play also seeks to provide something that everybody can relate to in its portrayal of the family dynamic. While not everyone will have encountered the same issues that the play tackles, including alcoholism, stillbirth, and strokes, nor the extremity to which they are portrayed, many people can relate to family crises and their resolutions.
Indeed, then, the play tackles many difficult issues. The ability to find humor in life disasters is Durang's specialty and makes the play endearing. The humor in the production is also one of the reasons why Rodriguez chose the play. As a dark comedy, this performance comes with certain risks, a challenge that Rodriguez wanted to take on. She did not want to do a "safe comedy," such as a lighthearted, romantic comedy.
This serious, "borderline offensive" comedy, as Rodriguez calls it, may touch a nerve in how it deals with these issues, but that is how it affects the audience. Matt speaks frankly of his experiences, which allows him to find humor in unlikely places.
Despite the difficulties of putting on a production of this nature, or perhaps because of them, Rodriguez made clear that there is great chemistry among the cast and everyone involved.
The play is tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. in Pickard Theater. Tickets are $1 and are available at the Smith Union Info Desk.