MainStage Irving-Las Colinas presents Tigers Be Still
by Kim Rosenstock
Directed by Bruce R Coleman
Cast
Raven Lawes
Wendi Evetts
John Marshall
Dan Morrow
Stage Manager Cathy Parks Bardin
Asst Stage Manager Neera Jackson
Scenic Designer/Set Dresser/Master Carpenter Wendy Searcy-Woode
Costume Designer Bruce R Coleman
Property Designer Dawn Blasingame
Lighting Designer John Aspholm
Sound Designer/A1 Sound Op Michael Cannon
A2 Sound Op Lillie Galvin
Light Board Operator Eric B Ryan
Backstage Crew Justin Dillier, Neera Jackson
Producer Clayton Cunningham
Tech Producer Tom Ortiz
My thoughts on Tigers Be Still or…life, love, laughs, and depression and hold that tiger.
When I heard that Tigers Be Still was written by the same person who wrote the book for Fly By Night, I was eager to see it. Here, once again, Kim Rosenstock shows her flair for dialogue and character development, and the ability to take on tough subjects with humor and tenderness. And in Tigers Be Still, grief and depression are much more concerning than a loose tiger.
24-year-old Sherry Wickman, after earning her master’s degree in art therapy followed by months of unemployment and bedridden depression, has recently gotten her first job as a middle school art teacher and is ready to tell us how she stopped being a “total disaster.” Sherry lives with her unseen and unheard but often talked to depressed mother Wanda who refuses to come out of her room and her older sister Grace, who never leaves the sofa, drinks constantly, is obsessed with the movie “Top Gun,” and is also depressed due to a breakup with her fiancé, who cheated on her with his podiatrist. Sherry’s principal Joseph, a widower, is an old high school beau of her mother’s and keeps a rifle in his office lest the escaped zoo tiger come on school grounds. Joseph has a depressed and aimless teenage son with anger management issues named Zack, who works at a drugstore. Joseph decides that new art teacher Sherry may be able to help Zack through art therapy. It is Sherry who serves as our narrator and guide through her life as it intersects with these unusual characters, and she tells us she hopes it will be an “inspirational tale of triumph.”
I don’t know about inspirational, but Tigers Be Still, although bordering on absurd at times, is laugh out loud funny, endearing, and ultimately touching. The tiger’s share of the credit for the play’s success goes to Director Bruce R Coleman for flawless casting and directing with a light hand which makes even the most implausible situations seem natural.
The story unfolds on Wendy Searcy-Woode’s multi-functional set which becomes two homes, a school office, a classroom, a drugstore, and more. There are twenty or so scenes and constant blackouts accompanied by pop hits from the past fifty years. Director Coleman keeps it moving quickly. My one criticism is that I wish the play’s 90 minutes had been kept to one act to keep its momentum going.
Now about that flawless cast. Dan Morrow is the principal Joseph, who is focused on keeping his school free from a tiger attack. Morrow has real charm as the not so strait-laced, quirky dad and administrator, who has never gotten over his love of Wanda. I won’t spoil anything, but Morrow’s last scene garnered many loving ohs and ahs from the audience.
As Grace, the forever stuck on the couch and often inebriated sister, Wendi Evetts has a comic dream of a role and Evetts has all the skills and timing to make the unkempt Grace hysterical. This woman can even act with her feet for heaven’s sake, not to mention being able to sing a “stirring” rendition of Bette Midler’s “The Rose.” And even though the character of Grace does some preposterous things, Evetts makes her sympathetic and relatable.
As Zack, Joseph’s troubled son and Sherry’s first therapy patient, John Marshall is nothing short of spectacular. Marshall, who is completing his acting degree this year, already has the presence and power of a pro. Of all the characters, Zack is the most multidimensional. He’s a wise cracking, grieving youth, but also a young man on a search for his place in life. In an unusually intense moment in this dark comedy, Zack encounters the tiger and Marshall’s delivery is so fierce you can almost see the beast. Marshall also has a wonderfully awkward scene with Sherry where Zack’s feelings for her briefly spill over into the romantic and the scene where Zack and Sherry become their parents and relate their history was my favorite in the play. You may want to keep your playbill from the show to prove to people you saw John Marshall back when.
And then there’s the incomparable Raven Lawes as Sherry. Sherry is finally breaking free from depression and Lawes captures the character perfectly. Sherry’s concerned about her mother and her sister and treats them both compassionately, though Lawes skillfully lets us see the toll it takes on the character. Sherry is good natured and tries to be upbeat, yet she is tentative and vulnerable at the same time. She’s easily flustered and nervous, but determined to succeed and Lawes somehow embodies all those qualities of the complex character. In addition, Lawes as Sherry breaks the fourth wall throughout the show and speaks directly to the audience. Lawes does this in such an appealing and lovable manner that we become fully invested in Sherry. Sherry is a tough, demanding role and Lawes is one of those accomplished actors who makes it seem easy.
Tigers Still Be is an unconventional play that is filled with small surprises. You never know exactly where it’s taking you, but you’ll be awfully glad you made the journey.
