Theatre of Hope & Acorn Prods. present a play in two acts by Georgia Flosi, directed by Cynthia Baer. 

Will - Charlie Brill
Maureen - Mitzi McCall
Kate - Joanne McGee
Stan - Gary Lamb
Darcy - Jessica Harrow
Chris - Ryan Cassidy

By Julio Martinez

Playwright/novelist Georgia Flosi has penned an earnest but woefully amateurish glimpse into the dysfunctional life of Kate (Joanne McGee), a woman desperately attempting to overcome the lifelong emotional trauma she has endured from her memories of being sexually abused by her stepfather. Longtime stage and TV vets Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall (Harry & Frannie Lipschitz on USA's "Silk Stalkings") attempt to instill some energy and veracity into the proceedings but are ultimately defeated by Flosi's turgid text, Cynthia Baer's community theater-level staging and an inadequate supporting cast.

Set primarily in the living room of Kate, husband Stan (Gary Lamb) and pre-teen daughter Darcy (Jessica Harrow), the action centers on Kate's angst-filled attempts to deal with the arrival of her mother Maureen (McCall) and terminally ill stepfather Will (Brill), while attempting to come to terms with growing marital incompatibility with Stan. Overshadowing everything, however, is Kate and Stan's fear that Darcy might be in danger from Will. Complicating matters further is the presence of Kate's born-again Christian missionary brother Chris (Ryan Cassidy), who was also abused as a child by Will but has found emotional sanctuary within his faith. 

Flosi attempts to follow too many agendas and never adequately resolves any. Kate is presented as a woman whose childhood trauma led to rampant promiscuity, drug abuse and a nervous breakdown while in college. Now a married real estate agent and an accomplished artist, she is attempting to balance her personal desire for artistic solitude with the heavy demands from hubby Stan to be more involved in his work. Of course, this is the perfect time to finally confront her step dad about his evil ways, inform her deeply mortified mother for the first time about Will, and deal with her daughter who is mad at her for not allowing her beloved granddad Will to stay in the house. Kate tops it all off by contemplating a bit of hanky panky with her aerobics instructor.

All this motivation is simply too much for McGee who adequately churns out Kate's relentless dissatisfactions but doesn't exhibit much inner life or thought process while doing it. Lamb's Stan fares a bit better, especially in his chilling confrontation with Will, but is hampered by the playwright's clumsy dialogue and under-developed characterization. Ryan ("The Facts of Life"), the youngest of the Cassidy brothers, projects deep empathy and solace as brother Chris but has very little to do with the storyline. Young Jessica Harrow never varies from her perky line readings.

Brill and McColl simply perform at another level. Brill is deeply moving as the repentant abuser who desperately wants to make amends before he dies. McColl offers a tour de force portrayal of a deeply loyal mother and wife who is spiritually devastated by her daughter's revelations.

Review As Printed In Daily Variety 2/12/02
 

The Family Game is no game at all.  In fact, where many plays are considered "slice of life" productions, this one is more like a "gash of life", cutting deep into the innermost taboos that a family could hide.    Family secrets are much like an onion.  You peel one layer, and there's another one, and the more you peel and get closer to the core, the more you cry. 

While this is not a cry-fest, it certainly has many bitterly sad moments and situations that make one hope this will never happen in your family.   As one layer of story develops, another is exposed, even more involved than the previous one, until you wonder just how much more one can handle.

Grandpa Will is dying of cancer, and wants to spend his last days with his stepdaughter and granddaughter.   Kate, his stepdaughter, is firmly against having him alone with her 10 year old, as we learn that he had molested Kate when she was a child.  It's a secret Kate has kept for years, but as Thanksgiving approaches, she feels compelled to tell her mother. 

Her mother, Maureen, can't believe her husband would do anything like that, but has vague recollections of a distant time when a similar accusation was made involving her husband and Kate's brother, Christopher.  Years of marriage and trust are in jeopardy now, and Maureen is torn between the love she feels for him and the disgust of having been deceived all these years.

Kate now must deal with the fact that Will is dying, that he was a molester, that the little girl adores the grandfather and that forgiveness is an impossible option for her.

Add to this Kate's previous breakdown, her need for "having her own space", and her latent but slowly emerging intrigue with promiscuity and you have a recipe that's not exactly a treat for the holidays.  Author Georgia Flosi has covered most of the bases here; anger - denial - negotiation - acceptance, they're all there played with intuitive credibility by an excellent cast.  Director Cynthia Baer had to walk a fine line here avoiding the overtly melodramatic in favor of a more underplayed statement.   Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall play the grandparents with wonderful sensitivity and warmth.  Ryan Cassidy is excellent as Kate's missionary brother, who has found religion and forgiveness.  Jessica Harrow who is ten years old, was perfect as the ten year old daughter, and Gary Lamb and Joanne McGee did a superb job as the parents, torn between the truth, the lies, the hatred and ultimate acceptance in dealing with the problem.

Not exactly a date play, this is definitely one that will force one to think and consider a problem that lurks in whispered secrets with many families, but all too often makes its hideous appearance, often destroying the lives of all around the offender.  Theatre Of Hope is a non-profit organization known for its production of plays that illuminate vital social issues.  FOR RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION: (818) 766-9702 ext. 4.

 
WHAT: “The Family Game,” World Premiere engagement of a new play.

WHO: Written by Georgia Flosi. Directed by Cynthia Baer. A Theatre Of Hope
Production in association with Acorn Productions.

WHERE: Bitter Truth Playhouse, 11050 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. This is 
between Lankershim and Vineland.. There is a municipal parking lot on Magnolia
west of Lankershim, several minutes walk from the theatre.

WHEN: February 9- March 17, 2002. Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Additional 
Sunday evening performances at 7 p.m. on February 17, 24, March 3, 10. 

ADMISSION: $15; Seniors and members of performing arts unions, $12.