Theater review: ‘To Quiet the Quiet’

Play examines loss — and not quietly

• By Connie Shakalis Special to the H-T
 
• May 11, 2019 Updated 12 hrs 

The man on my left liked it; so did much of the audience Friday night at Bloomington Playwrights Projects’ “To Quiet the Quiet,” by Christy Hall. It’s a psychological thriller full of foreshadowing and suspense, with a surprise ending, which ‘ll try hard not to spoil.
Direction (David Anspaugh) and acting are some of the best I’ve ever seen at BPP. Playing main character, 62-year-old Kathy, is Priscilla Barnes, who is a gift to Bloomington. She runs the gamut of emotions without, even once, “acting,” and to see and hear her is to attend a master class in theater.
Scott Van Wye, one of my favorites in any show he’s in, is almost wasted in his supporting role as Quinn.
In fact, the play is practically a one-woman show, with Quinn and Kathy’s husband, Todd (Anspaugh, in his first acting role), written in to clarify the plot and to let us understand Kathy.
It’s Kathy’s show, her story. I can’t say much, because to do so ruins the surprise, but I will say I’ve known two women recently who have gone through a similar experience, and I wonder if, without their families and social networks, they might have ended up as Kathy does.
In “To Quiet the Quiet” we witness grief, disappointment, loss, infidelity, imagination, depression, revenge, despair and guilt. There’s more, but these are the main points.
Anspaugh gives Todd such tenderness that I didn’t mind not being quite able to hear his words to Kathy. I could feel his ache for her and for his past decisions. He embodies every needy person’s “safe person.”
But, speaking of needy persons, the script is just too packed with needy, wronged, damaged Kathy and her ramblings. Fine, if she had gone on for 20 minutes, but an hour and 20 seemed too much of the same. Also, there were opportunities for comic relief, of which Hall didn’t take advantage. Another wordy, repetitive script. If I ‘d heard about that salad one more time I might have screamed.
Good thing Anspaugh was able to convince Barnes to fly in from L.A. to do the part, because without her (and Anspaugh’s) skill, I might have ended up as she does.
Foreshadowing is a favorite of mine, and Hall gives us plenty: Quinn’s reaction to his mother’s name being mentioned; Kathy’s revulsion at Todd’s selling their home to a family with six children; Kathy’s line “I don’t explode anymore.”
But the ending-with-a-twist disappointed me; I like a plot hearty enough to stand on its own without the need for an audience-shocker finale. I thought this had gone out of style.
Joel Watson’s sound design added fine points of sadness and what’s-to-come? music.
David Wade’s (set design) kitchen is a delight.
Just because this is not on my see-again list doesn’t mean I’m not dying to know what other audience members think. I noticed faces Friday night that showed distinct differences: glowing and confused. How will yours look?