A Meditation on Life, Death and "Wit"

Por: nathalie | |

By Nathalie Espinol
As the curtains rose for Onstage Atlanta’s March 28 performance of Margaret Edson’s 1999 Pulitzer Prize winning “Wit,” a middle-aged woman stepped out on the low, cramped stage and delivered a stirring monologue, but she wasn’t an actress. Her words were not eloquent and lyrical, nor witty and wise—she simply stated the facts. Facts like how 15,520 women died of ovarian cancer in 2008 alone, according to the National Cancer Institute. Facts like how ovarian cancer is often called “the silent cancer” for its generic symptoms (stomach cramps, lower back pains) that allow the disease to go undiagnosed for years. This woman was an ovarian cancer survivor and a representative from the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance (GOCA), asking the small Saturday night audience to “think teal” and get tested.

GOCA’s presence in the theater, as well as the few cancer survivors in the audience, created a poignant context to the Onstage production and gave a touching reminder of how art doesn’t just imitate life, but death as well. Yet, despite the grim subject matter, Onstage’s one hour and forty minute production never felt bogged down. Braiding together funny quips and scenes of comic relief with deeper threads about life and death, Onstage deftly emphasized the play’s enlightening themes of love, grace and redemption.

Edson’s single act play centers on Vivian Bearing and her final hours with stage IV, metastatic ovarian cancer. The opening scene features a candid aside delivered by the 50-year-old Vivian (Josie Burgin Lawson), clothed in a hospital gown and baseball cap with an IV in tow, as she relates her dismal prognosis with an intelligent wit and candor, her definitive characteristic throughout the play. During her medical questionnaire, when asked if she exercises, Vivian quickly replies, “I pace,” soliciting a healthy laughter from the audience. In fact, Vivian’s wit is her most endearing quality and thus a key element in the play’s overall success. Lawson makes you sympathize for the uncompromising 17th century poetry professor and during the dramatic highpoints she makes you sincerely care.

Vivian is in the midst of an experimental—and aggressive—treatment of chemotherapy, consisting of “eight rounds at full dosage”, which her oncologist, the calculating Dr. Kelekian (Charles Green), proposed after the discovery of her cancer in its fourth and terminal stage. The play follows her physically and emotionally wrenching fight against the disease with unrelenting honesty that can sometimes be uncomfortable to watch, particularly when Lawson ferociously writhes and retches with pain during the final scenes.

Through a series of flashbacks, Vivian’s life story unfolds revealing her consistent choice of her academic career over love and relationships; the consequences of which she must now face as she lays alone in a hospital bed. When Vivian’s proud and witty façade eventually crumble under the weight of her fears and the pain of the treatment, she must discovers a brutal reality where her beloved words (most taken from John Donne’s “Holy Sonnets,” Vivian’s particular specialty) offer shallow comfort and little satisfaction.

After undergoing numerous changes in venue and leadership during its 37-year tenure, Onstage Atlanta has finally found its footing, particularly with this polished production. With its permanent location in Decatur (easy to miss, beside a Big Lots! in an inconspicuous strip mall), the playhouse has also established a permanent ensemble of actors, writers, directors and technicians. With “Wit,” director David Klein and technicians creatively manipulated the stage lights, particularly during Vivian’s x-ray scenes and the play’s closing scene. Additionally, the theater utilized its small stage implementing a sparse set (consisting mostly of hospital equipment) that effectively kept the focus on the acting and the dialogue. While the limited set also allowed for rapid set changes, the squeaky wheels of many of their large set pieces were somewhat distracting as they were pulled on and off the stage.

Besides the direction and set, one of the key elements to the play’s success was its outstanding cast. Lawson, a seasoned Atlanta actress, delivers the dense dialogue with a comfortable ease, giving a versatile performance that maneuvers through Bearing’s bravado and wit to expose her humanity. Justin Sims, as Vivian’s parallel character Dr. Posner, also stands out with a convincing portrayal of the stubborn and uncaring young doctor, desperate to make a name for himself. One surprising performance was Cathe Hall Payne as Vivian’s nurse, Susan, who projected genuine compassion and kindness to her ailing patient.

Ultimately, Onstage Atlanta’s production of “Wit” proved enlightening, entertaining and educating. The theater’s appropriate partnership with GOCA for the production also successfully raised awareness about ovarian cancer—reasons enough to warrant the standing ovation received that Saturday night, not just for the actors but also, perhaps, for the real life cancer survivors.