On this side of the stage, we have Tom. He's a widower, lawyer and father of Eve, an autistic 17 year old. Years ago, Tom sent his daughter away to a private institution. He does not believe she'll get better.
He is our skeptic.
On the other side, Kate. She has a deep passion for teaching students others have given up on, such as Eve. She has poured all her passions, all her hopes, into reaching the teen.
Rachel is our evangelist.
In the middle is Eve, voiceless, unaware. Or is she?
This is "Miracles," which Invisible Theatre opened Wednesday.
The Frank Higgins play has as its central conceit the controversial method known as facilitated communications.
Kate has discovered that if she holds Eve's arm lightly - just to steady it - the teen will type out words. Sentences. Conversations. Poems. Lots and lots of poems.
People are also reading…
But is it Eve typing, or Kate unconsciously guiding her finger to spell out words? Tom wants to believe that his daughter has been reached, but he has doubts. Kate wants to believe that she has made a deep and real connection with Eve. She has conviction.
And Eve? No one's quite sure. She's either a savant, or a pawn in Kate's unwitting game.
Rachel Lacy tackles the show's most difficult role, that of Eve, with grace and honesty. She must be incoherent and reactionary one moment, and lucid and eloquent the next (the play switches from reality into the dreams of the adults - Eve always is lucid in those dreams). Lacy makes us believe that the fantasy Eve is just as real as the autistic Eve, and she does this without ever resorting to caricature.
Betsy Kruse Craig's turn as Kate is beautifully colored - which is surprising given that Higgins made her pretty one-note. Craig was completely invested in this character, which made the audience invested as well.
James Blair cuts a fine figure as Eve's concerned Dad, who is initially seduced by the thought that his daughter is a thinking person with dreams, hopes. While he had the look and demeanor, Blair had a hard time showing an interior life. That robbed the play of some of the tension it needed.
Director Susan Claassen knows about miracles. She is the power behind The Pastime Players, teens and young adults with various mental and physical challenges. Through dance, drama and song, Claassen gives them the courage and tools to blossom. To see this group in action is to know the power of art and that believing one can make a difference can make a difference.
It's likely what made her feel an affinity for this play; she infused it with that kind of conviction, which gave it heart. Under Claassen's guidance, the production moved swiftly yet still found time to breath.
And yet, "Miracles" disappointed.
The real problem with this play isn't the production as much as Higgins' script. He isn't quite sure where he wants to go - issues about facilitated communications, abuse, control are all raised. But in the end he takes a totally different road, leaving the questions he raised seriously unresolved.
And that makes "Miracles" less than what it could be.
Review
"Miracles"
• Presented by: Invisible Theatre.
• Playwright: Frank Higgins.
• Director: Susan Claassen.
• When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 20. No performance this Saturday, and an additional one at 3 p.m. Feb. 12.
• Where: Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. First Ave.
• Tickets: Regular performances, $25. Half-price tickets one-half hour before curtain, subject to availability.
• Reservations, information: 882-9721.
• Running time: two hours, with one intermission.
Contact reporter Kathleen Allen at kallen@azstarnet.com or 573-4128.
