News from Mustard Seed Theatre this rainy morning: Deanna Jent’s Falling, which resonated with audiences and critics alike, is headed to New York for an Off-Broadway production. Producer Terry Schnuck saw the show during its opening weekend, and has optioned it for 2012. You recognize the name, huh? Yes, Schnuck hails from here, but he’s also the New York producer that successfully revived Hair for the 21st century, and produced the much-lauded Spring Awakening. Keep tabs on performance info on Mustard Seed’s website.
Here’s a little bit of background, plucked from the review by our theater critic, Devin C. Baker:
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“The meat of Falling derives from Deanna Jent’s own experiences parenting a child with severe autism—specifically as that child enters his late teens as a large, powerful presence whose violent outbursts threaten the family’s safety in the home. Her first-hand perspective informs the play with a particular frankness and humor, where an outside observer might be tempted toward movie-of-the-week style sentimentality. We encounter the Martin family in media res, preparing son Josh (Jonathan Foster) for school, a ritualistic process wherein every hurdle and roadblock presented by his particular collection of autistic triggers must be met with a fusillade of games, distractions, diversions and codewords.”
We are also pleased to see that his wish for a wider audience has been granted:
“Falling tackles a tough subject with a matter-of-fact approach that bespeaks its author’s closeness to the material. This play isn’t pretending to solve any problems or plant any signposts, but simply to offer a glimpse of stuff that real people, people you probably know, are going through day in, day out. As awareness of autism has grown in recent years, understanding in the world at large hasn’t. I’d like to hope that Jent’s play will get some traction and be picked up for presentation by other companies around the country, around the world. Insight like this sticks with people because it’s delivered with honesty and authority, without pontification.”
We say: damn straight. For the full review, click here.
