Round House Theatre: "How I Learned to Drive"

The first thing, that will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen a Paula Vogel play is that they are extremely well crafted.  The format of this play is a non-linear construction based on the protagonist's memories of an uncle who was a pedophile and abused her.  The memories bounce driven by degrees of rawness, building to the most uncomfortable.  I use the word uncomfortable with great intention as the play is not an outright condemnation of the Uncle.  Oh yeah, you know he's a monster, but he's a monster that you can grasp--not simply in unredeemable incarnation of evil.  And therein lies what I found most powerful about this play.  The author doesn't tell you what to think, but give you something worth thinking about.  The wickedness of the antagonist is never in question, and his fate is justly deserved, but he is not the star.  The protagonist is, even as you witness her fall into the relationship as vile as it is, it is a relationship.  Such a powerful play.

The sets were the barest I've ever seen at Round House and though simple the actors used the open space to good measure in defining the setting.  The costumes were, meh, especially where the three members of the Greek Chorus were concerned.  The lighting effects were especially complementary to the stark production as well.

The central key to a well written play is having actors up to the material, and this was certainly true here.  In the three member supporting ensemble of the Greek Chorus, Emily Townley really stood out in her portrayals for both Li'l Bit's mother and aunt.  Peter O'Connor was a fresh face to me and brought both a degree of confused niceness and subtle creepiness to the role of the pedophile Uncle Peck.  But the crown goes hands down to Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan's embodiment of L'il Bit.  With tremendous ease and chilling effect she jumped between 18 and 11 and many stops in between.  It was a mesmerizing performance.  Losing oneself in her craft made bearable the overriding subject matter of the play.  After the older couple sat down on the other side of me, he looked at his program and said, "Oh my, what have I gotten myself into?"  Indeed.

Greek Chorus members in back: Emily Townley, Daven Ralston, Craig Wallace,

Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan as Li'l Bit and Peter O'Connor as Uncle Peck

Craig Wallace and Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan

Flashback to a middle school dance

The final scene with Uncle Peck on Li'l Bit's 18th Birthday