“Windmills of Your Mind”
This searing drama is written by Stephen Adly Guirgis and
directed by Adriana Baer. It is playing
at their space, 1515 SW Morrison St., through April 1st. For more information, go to their site at www.artistsrep.org
It is said that a person has three secrets. There is the one that you share only with
your best friend; the second one you keep to yourself; and the third one is
hidden even from you. What we have in
this story, in part, are secrets within secrets, and stories within stories and
we discover, as the characters do, that we are forced to peel back the layers,
like an onion (tears included), until we find the core of ourselves and then we
are set free.
At the outset this is a normal, dysfunctional “family” (yes,
I realize that is an oxymoron but it does seem to fit this grouping). There is “Pops” (Kevin Jones), the head of
the clan, a retired ex-cop and a bit of a constant tippler and a junk food
addict, who rules with an iron fist, occasionally encased in a velvet
glove. Then there is the flighty son, Junior
(Bobby Bermea), who has a short temper and doesn’t seem to have any solid
job. There is also living in the
household, Junior’s girlfriend, Lulu (Julana Torres), who loves him (and
“Pops”) unconditionally, but isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. And the final relative of the house is the
cheerful, Oswaldo (Illya Torres-Garner), a relative, who is on a bit of a
fitness kick.
Other members that weave into this extended fabric of a
family are his old friend and co-worker, a detective, Audrey (Val Landrum), who
appears to have been trained by “Pops” as a rookie cop and has great affection
for him. Also, there is Dave (Ben Newman),
also a co-worker of his, now rising in the ranks to a Lieutenant and has
ambitions to soar even higher. And,
finally, there is the Church Lady (Ayanna Berkshire), whose congregation
ministered to his deceased wife and now appears to be trying to save him, but
her methods are a bit unorthodox, to say the least. And so, as the story progresses, the masks
are stripped away and they are exposed to the elements to see if they can adapt
to changes, evolve with them, or perish.
Really can’t tell you any more, as revelations come fast and
furious and it’s up to an audience to discover them. Baer has cast this play perfectly and her
pacing is spot on, as she hits you hard and fast at times,
and then relaxes a bit for some of the more subtle moments. And Jones is a master at performing (and
directing) and this is a dynamite role for him.
He is a powerhouse that can’t be tamed.
The rest of the cast, too, all seasoned professionals, have their time
in the sun onstage and they burst with energy when they command the boards.
I recommend this production, especially for the powerful
performances. If you do choose to see
it, please tell them Dennis sent you.
--DJS
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