Friday, June 13, 2014

The Other Place

This evening Alice, David, and I saw The Other Place, by Sharr White,  at Barrington Stage's second theatre, the St. Germain Stage. It is a vivid depiction of a person on the fringe of dementia, partially realizing what is happening to her, and partially living in several other worlds, past and present.

For anyone who has ever dealt with someone going through this pathetic life change, and even for those who have never experienced it, this play is a very true to life tale of a person at the border of sanity.

Marg Helgenberger portrays Juliana, a woman going through this terrifying experience. Her change from a sophisticated business woman into a confused and psychologically destroyed person is amazing.

Equally effective is Katya Campbell as The Woman, who plays several different roles, Juliana's shrink, her daughter, and a stranger into whose home Juliana goes. The house being 'The Other Place', which Juliana and her husband once owned.

Brent Langdon was excellent as Ian, Juliana's husband and Adam Donshik was very good in several roles as The Man.

It provided a challenging and dramatic evening with a tour de force performance by Ms. Helgenberger. 

Barrington Stage is off to a good start this season with the powerful drama.