Patient Shadows by Laurie Goodwoman, Dr. 2's Diagnosis

Patient: Shadows

Parent: Laurie Goodwoman

Insurance: Paperkutz

Symptoms: lights on, lights off

Diagnosis: lights out

Bio:

In 2016, the then called Shadow Puppets was produced by UCLA's Undergraduate Theater Council. Laurie Goodwoman’s plays tackle ideas such as identity and familial relations by challenging the form in which they are presented. She has worked with The Play Company, New Georges, and Pipeline Theatre Company.

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Patient Description:

Two kiddies, both alike in dignity. In one bedroom, we lay our short scene. The sister, Pollux, “Plans” as the brother, Castor, “Goes.” That’s pretty much as far as the plot “Goes.”

The intro was a diva-strutting banger that promised the audience a world of under-the-sheets meaning. The playwright demanded the setting incorporate a pillow fort, lest one have to “omit the Shadows from the production”. Lest the play, Shadows, be unplayable?

The unconventional, two-sided writing structure of the script was a convincing, new feature. The Doctor appreciates all deviations from Samuel French’s crusty, Christian, centered pages. The dual format was essentially clever: as it was a projection of the visual staging during the ping-pong dialogue.

After that, there’s no story onstage. It’s likely in the peripheral room next door, where the parents “are supposed to be asleep.” The kid characters become drunk with telling: never clever, even at a standard for kids. Instead of living out the story, it’s consistently and briefly mentioned. To add to the pain of decoding a second-hand story, it’s s u r r e a l.

Castor “Goes.” Pullox “Plans” something else. There is an assumption conflict, but never a play of it. The lullaby duet was the last time the unique format shone. The denouement was a tumble that finally welcomed a fashionably late plot. Meaningful cues from the playwright parent such as crossed out text had zero impact because of the lack of story leverage.

While the patient was well grounded on a creative platform, the story described is an abyss that no bedtime flashlight can pierce through.

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New Patients

This play review of Laurie Goodwoman’s Shadows is by Mr. Bohemian.