Everyman Theatre: Cry It Out

 I used to chronicle all the shows I went to here.  It makes for a good archive and helps my memory, but Covid-19 cut my theatre life off completely.  Now it back sort of.  I'm beginning again to "go" to the theatre from the comfort of my home.  My beloved DMV theatre companies are proving the old adage "the show must go on" by creating VoD productions.  I must say, when I watched this first one, I very nearly cried just to be "back". 

It didn't occur to me at the time to post about it.  But I realize that I should. 

"Cry It Out" by Molly Smith Metzler is the story of two women who are neighbors.  Quarantine gives them the opportunity to become friends.  Then another neighbor suddenly shows up and asks them to befriend his wife.  He sees what they seem to have from the vantage of his home, and worries that his wife, who shares the fact that she is also a new mother, needs the camaraderie of such a friendship.  It's a strange request, and leads to places predictable and profoundly revealing.  

The cast was made up of four actors, three of whom I am fairly familiar with, and all of whom I'd seen in at least one other production.  The leads, Megan Anderson and Beth Hylton both have captivating abilities to inhabit a character as a whole creation and not a stereotype of an idea.  It's a skill that allows for a door into a story and saves me from being aware of the acting.  I felt Beth's ability to calibrate the arc of her character in a way that expressed the subtle trajectory of growth very affecting. 

The stage was simple and fitting with wonderful lighting and sound design, too.

I really enjoyed this production.

Jessie (Beth Hylton) and Lina (Megan Anderson)

Jessie with Mitchell (Tony Nam)