Despite winning the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for drama for playwright Margaret Edson, W;t is, nevertheless, a difficult play on at least several levels.
Professor Vivian Bearing (鈥榖are-ing鈥�), a renowned scholar of 17th century metaphysical poetry, tells us from her hospital bed, 鈥淚t is not my intention to give away the plot; but I think I die at the end.鈥�
Gaunt, wasted, and bald, she has been experimentally and unsuccessfully treated for Stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer. That鈥檚 how W;t begins. We are going to watch Dr. Bearing die in the next hour and a half.
Over the course of the play 鈥� in flashbacks 鈥� Dr. Bearing lectures her students (and us) on the finer points of John Donne鈥檚 discourse on life, death and God as revealed in Donne鈥檚 Holy Sonnets, particularly Sonnet X, 鈥淒eath, be not proud.鈥�
This is heavy slogging for those of us not as engaged as Dr. Bearing in the passionate, complicated points of Donne鈥檚 speculations on mortality/immortality. Indeed, Dr. Jason Posner, the researcher for whom Vivian Bearing is a 鈥榣ab rat,鈥� took her course years ago at university because he was looking for a challenge.
Amazingly, W;t doesn鈥檛 bog down under all this weight; it鈥檚 intelligent, witty and sometimes funny. And while the eventual message 鈥� pride in scholarship at the expense of human connection leads to a lonely, frightening death 鈥� is not profound, it is satisfying.
This Pacific Theatre production succeeds in spite of the play鈥檚 difficult material thanks to stellar performances. Head shaved and wearing a bright red baseball cap, Katharine Venour (as Dr. Bearing) is on stage throughout the entire evening; it鈥檚 almost an extended monologue. Slowly, carefully, Venour takes Vivian through her journey to self-discovery. 鈥淒eath be not proud鈥� could also be 鈥淒r. Bearing be not proud鈥� as we watch Vivian struggling with pride juxtaposed with insensitivity to everyone around her.
Dan Amos, as Dr. Posner, begins well: he鈥檚 likeable, straightforward and charming. But director Angela Konrad might have pulled back on Posner鈥檚 increasingly transparent tactlessness. It鈥檚 in the script but it doesn鈥檛 seem likely that Posner would stand at Vivian鈥檚 bedside discussing so coldly what is likely to transpire 鈥� kidney failure, pain and cardiac arrest 鈥� as if she鈥檚 not there.
In lieu of family and friends 鈥� none of which Vivian has 鈥� we all hope someone like Susie (Julie Casselman) and E.M. Ashford (Erla Faye Forsyth) are there to see us through our end-game. While Susie is, by Vivian鈥檚 standards, none too bright, Casselman shows us Susie鈥檚 abundance of care and tenderness. It鈥檚 a big moment of acceptance on Vivian鈥檚 part when she allows Susie to call her 鈥渟weetheart.鈥�
Forsyth has us all close to tears when, as E.M., she climbs onto the bed and, rather than reciting something from Donne, she reads from The Runaway Bunny, a present for E.M.鈥檚 six-year-old grandson. This scene echoes seven-year-old Vivian reading Beatrix Potter鈥檚 The Flopsy Bunny and discovering the word 鈥渟oporific鈥� which, in turn, echoes Donne鈥檚 description of death in Sonnet X: 鈥淥ne short sleepe past, wee wake eternally.鈥�
John Webber鈥檚 set 鈥� one white, arching wall and another covered in blank pages 鈥� evokes both the hospital and the university where Vivian teaches. Lauchlin Johnston lights this set, singling out Venour in her direct addresses to the audience. Corina Akeson鈥檚 sound design, beginning with a cello, is beautifully unobtrusive.
Completing the cast are Ron Reed, Julia Siedlanowska, Jess Amy Shead, Brandon Bate and Baraka Rahmani.
Troublesome for some of us, of course, are the two, concluding Sonnet X lines: 鈥淥ne short sleepe past, wee wake eternally/And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.鈥� Whether or not Vivian Bearing comes to believe in the idea of a hereafter, she does accept, with grace, death鈥檚 inevitability.
W;t
At Pacific Theatre until June 11
604-731-5518/pacifictheatre.org
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