Healed
My thoughts on Healed or…a very rough road to wellness.
Second Thought Theatre’s presentation of the world premiere play Healed by Dallas playwright and actor Blake Hackler is ninety minutes of engrossing, provocative, intense theater made even more powerful by Director Carson McCain’s fierce and unflinching staging and the intimacy of Second Thought’s performance arena.
The play is a scathing look at the medical profession and those who profit from the misery of others by selling hope for a very high price. Gail (Gigi Cervantes), a middle-aged professor and new grandmother, has been chronically ill for decades. In what she sees as her last hope, she sells her home to go to a treatment center in the Texas Hill Country run by Dr. Tolliver (Lisa Lloyd). Her harried daughter Caroline (Amanda Nicole Reyes), who is dealing with a constantly crying infant son, tells her it sounds like a scam, but Gail is determined.
When she arrives at PureAire nothing is as she imagined. Jose Torres’ soaring plain wooden wall set looks, as Gail states, “Spartan.” Sacha (Liz Sankarsingh), an assistant at PureAire , greets Gail with a list of stringent rules and regulations that are almost militaristic. She meets patients Sam (Kat Lozano) and Rena (Karen Parrish) who both seem resigned to the ways of PureAire, but they treat Gail with kindness and concern.
What really ticks Gail off is that Dr. Tolliver is not there to greet her and begin treatment. And when they finally do meet, Tolliver is nothing like she is in her marketing ads and does not prioritize Gail’s treatment. Gail calls Caroline to come get her but she is tending to her sick son.
Things change when Gail meets Ruth (vickie washington), an older Black woman who works at PureAire and Gail discovers that Ruth has power.
I won’t spoil the plot here, but I will say that there is resolution with a question for all of us at the end of the is intriguing and superbly acted play.
Gigi Cervantes is sensational as the fearful, adamant Gail desperate to be out of pain. Lisa Lloyd’s Dr. Tolliver in stilettos and looking like she just stepped off the set of “Grey’s Anatomy” is a stark contrast to the very casually attired others. Lloyd gives Tolliver a glib, matter of fact, approaching harsh demeanor, but one senses weariness and unfulfillment below the surface. Amanda Nicole Reyes is terrific as both the stressed-out Caroline and as the patient Charla whose constantly mispronounced name becomes a running joke.
Karen Parrish is a humorous, just barely hanging on Rena. Kat Lozano brings a genuine sincerity to Sam that makes her sympathetic and appealing. Liz Sankarsingh is remarkable as the authoritative, unyielding Sacha.
vickie washington is a revelation as Ruth. She is kind, folksy, yet somehow enigmatic. I think another play could be written about her character alone. washington and Cervantes have an incredible scene as they sit sipping Dr. Pepper at Ruth’s place. It’s a mini-master acting class condensed to five minutes.
There’s excellent dramatic lighting here from Roma Torres and Cresent R. Haynes’ sound made the coyotes howls seem both forlorn and foreboding.
I have been a fan of Blake Hackler’s writing and especially his dialogue since I saw his play What We Were a few years ago at Second Thought. He can make a shouting match scarily real and tender moments almost poetic. He is a DFW treasure.
Healed is a play that challenges you and leaves you questioning what choice you would make if you could end your suffering but have to pay a dear price. You will remember and talk about this exceedingly well acted and directed play for a long time.
Photos by Evan Michael Woods
