"Falling" A new play by Amy Witting

A Guest Review by Frau Snoobler

Currently playing on stage at the Connelly Theater in the East Village is “Falling”, playwright and producer Amy Witting’s entry into this year’s New York International Fringe Festival.  Poignantly recreating the viewpoints of victims and their loved ones, the drama moves backward and forward in time to describe the events leading up to and in the aftermath of a horrifying accident.

 

Witting weaves her narrative into an intricate web which encompasses the budding romantic relationship between the tightly wound Mildred (Kerry Fitzgibbons), who yearns to free her spirit from the monotony of a dull relationship and the stymied James (Josh Bywater), bound in the confines of an amicable but passionless 20 year marriage.  Mildred and James meet on a train going up the Connecticut coast, discovering that they share the same taste in history books as well as a love of Winston Churchill and the pleasures of the sea.  Impulsively opting to spend the weekend together, Bywater and Fitzgibbons convincingly recreate the doomed courtship of these two encumbered, yet lonely dreamers enabling the audience to be transported into what becomes a mesmerizing affair.

 

Paralleling the story of the lovers, we learn abruptly about the lives of those family members and friends who have raced to the hospital to deal with the unexpected accident; a wife, Jessica, a woman complacent in her current marriage and her young sister-in-law, Poly Anna, a disturbed woman with a frenetic motor mouth and a seemingly intense hatred of Jessica.   We also meet Drew, a sad sack fiancé and Beth, the prim, yet compassionate Drew’s soon to be sister-in-law.  How these people cope with the impact of a 3 car, 1 motorcycle pileup generates much of the drama of the play. The accident which hangs over the entire play inflicts more than physical damage for all involved. Through this one focal event, we learn of crumbled relationships, clandestine betrayals and unspoken bonds that are revealed.

 

Witting uses a combination of abstract verbal patter and straight story telling to create an initial mystery and dynamic energy that draws viewer into the lives of those who wait at the hospital. Riffs on such visual images as “moon fish” and travelling through shark infested waters with babies slung on backs, challenge the narrative flow to produce a poetic experience out of what could have been a mere kitchen sink melodrama.  Interspersed with these staccato exchanges Witting lets the plot points unfold, carefully incorporating mundane images such as soggy diner shrimp and clocks- with-broken-arms to break away from the grueling agony of waiting for life or death updates.  The counterpoint of the two narrative styles builds a rhythm that lends to the emotional impact of secrets revealed after the cataclysmic accident. Director Jacob Titus breaks the theater into three planes, manipulating the lighting in lieu of a grand set in order to break out each scene, creating a compelling montage effect.

 

Once we connect the dots with all the characters, the last quarter of the play, particularly concerning the blossomed relationship of Mildred and James tends to slow down the pacing, while dragging out the misery of those left behind in the wake of their romance. How Drew, Jessica, Poly Ann and Beth will move forward takes on a greater dramatic weight than just the cutesy romance of the renegade pair, perhaps diminishing the initial sparkle and appeal of their amour fou. Overall, “Falling” is a witty and smart production and a welcome addition to this year’s festival.