Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd.
Runs through March 7
Tues. – Fri: 8:00 PM; Sat: 4 PM & 8 PM; Sun: 3 PM & 7 PM
For tickets, call 847-673-6300
How I Learned to Drive, by Paula Vogel, uses driving lessons as a metaphor for how L'il Bit learns about life – the sudden stops, smooth roads, and crashes of life.
L'il Bit, now a grown woman, takes us on the journey of her childhood. With the clarity that comes with the distance of time, she shows how the events of her childhood have effected the trajectory of her life. We learn how her relationships, especially with her Uncle Peck, have affected how she views the world and herself. We move with L'il Bit back and forth in time, first as the girl living the experience, and then as the woman who sees how it has altered her.
Vogel has written a play where good and bad reside in each character equally, making them sorrowfully human. There is no one more important to L'il Bit than her Uncle Peck (by marriage), and the same is true for him. Yet they end up destroying each other because of their own pain and emptiness. The strong undercurrent of their relationship begins when she is 11 and ends when she is 18 – although now a grown woman of 30, these events still haunt her, as does her uncle's death and her own need to be with younger men.
Mariann Mayberry, as L'il Bit, moves back and forth in time smoothly, taking us from the actual experience to present day. It is a rare feat most actors fail at – living in two worlds at once is a challenge for any actor, but Mariann makes every moment alive, whether as an 11-year old girl or 30-year old woman. Scott Jaeck, as Uncle Peck, is remarkable. His Uncle Peck is a man lost in a world without love. As an audience member I felt great sorrow for him, at the same time understanding that what he did should have landed him in jail. At any stage in his life, if only someone had loved him for who he was, he wouldn't have felt such emptiness. We have all felt that loneliness but not for an entire lifetime.
As the Greek chorus, Sarah Watson, Natalie West, and Maurice Ralston round out a strong cast. As the other characters in L'il Bits life, we see how her mother, grandmother, grandfather, Aunt Mary, and schoolmates all combine to make L'il Bit the person she is today. Natalie West is wonderful as L'il Bit's outspoken, drunken mother and her mousy Aunt Mary. Sarah Watson and Maurice Ralston are both very good in their various roles, all three combining to make a strong ensemble.
Susan Booth, as director, did a very nice job although a few choices seemed to weaken the script. The montage of pictures of L'il Bit, while modeling for Uncle Peck, did not make the statement that the words called for – the pictures were too innocent and childlike. More questionable pictures, perhaps along the lines of Calvin Klein ads, would have been more visual. And the scene with Uncle Peck on a fishing trip also seemed too innocent. When I read the script, I was left wondering if Uncle Peck had a problem with all children and not just L'il Bit (though it is clear L'il Bit fills an emotional need that no else has come close to doing). Vogel deftly left it up to the reader to decide. Booth, however, didn't even pose the question, and I preferred when the question was at least asked. Perhaps Ms. Booth was concerned that Uncle Peck would appear too calculating – to me, it just makes him lonelier and sadder. Also, Ms. Booth opted not to use the road signs as suggested in the script. The Greek chorus also act as narrators for a driving video, bringing us "forward" in time or moving into "reverse" to return to the past. However, with just the use of the monotone vocal quality, this lovely device was not as clear as it could have been. On the whole however, Ms. Booth has allowed the work to stand by itself – I know I left remembering occurrences from my childhood and wondering how they changed the trajectory of my life.
How I Learned to Drive is a strong production that will be moving to Atlanta after its run in Skokie. Catch it before it leaves.
