'Cry It Out' at Hartford Stage - A Review

Hartford, CT - CRY IT OUT, a well-written “ode to modern-day motherhood” by Molly Smith Metzler, runs at Hartford Stage through November 17, 2019. The Hartford Stage production was beautifully directed by Rachel Alderman, director of A CHRISTMAS CAROL - A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS and associate director of THE FLAMINGO KID.

“In Molly Smith Metzler’s play, it is the women, the new mothers, who most need to “cry it out” as they lack connection and support and confidence at the beginning of their parenting careers. The wonder of these beginnings, of the little talked about “fourth trimester,” is at the center of CRY IT OUT, with the joys and fears of suddenly becoming a parent.” - Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Managing Director Cynthia Rider

In their program note, Hartford Stage Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Managing Director Cynthia Rider write that the play is “having a national moment as it is being produced at many regional theatres across the country and engaging dialogue about parenting, childcare, and the personal journey of many new parents on all parts of the economic strata.” While I had not heard of this piece, I am glad that Hartford Stage chose to become a part of the national conversation.

Any former or current working mother, or father for that matter, can relate to the angst that the characters deal with in the play as they deal with the “Economics of Parenthood” that are delineated by the show’s dramaturg, Shaila Schmidt in the show program. Suffice it to say, it is not inexpensive to raise a child. The show poster features spilt breast milk, emphasizing the additional struggle for nursing mothers who must return to work.

In a recent interview, the playwright said “People talk about going back to work after you have a child like it’s always a choice. Or they make it a feminist issue, making new mothers feel like they’re stuck in the 1950s if they want to stay home, or they’re cold-hearted careerists if they don’t want to stay home. We make it black and white, and we’re so judgemental. But it’s a very complicated, personal, emotional, and financial thing...We don’t actually talk about it, but it’s a socioeconomic issue in this country, who gets to have the luxury of choice.”

This is what the play is about, and it is full of wit and plenty of humor. The references to looking forward to trips to Stop and Shop and Dunkin’ Donut runs, along with other pop culture and Long Island references, will make it easier for Connecticut audiences to relate to the humor in the conversations.

While the play essentially looks at the power of female friendships, all of the four actors in the cast gave masterful performances and earned the standing ovation at curtain call at the matinee I attended.

Rachel Spencer Hewitt, who appeared in KING CHARLES III on Broadway and in PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Off- Broadway, essentially led the cast in the role of Jessie, a young lawyer who almost lost her newborn daughter in an emergency C-section delivery. Ms. Kinsolving, who appeared with Mia Farrow and Christine Baranski in LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE, gave a heartfelt performance in her Hartford Stage debut.

Evelyn Spahr, who appeared in HENRY V at Hartford Stage and attended NYU, was the perfect choice for the role of Lina, a new mother who dreads having to return to her job as an “entry level” hospital worker and leaving her son in the care of her mother-in-law. I enjoyed every moment of her (sometimes foul-language-laced) performance of this delightfully authentic role.

Erin Gann also did very well in the role of Mitchell, the only father in the cast, in his debut at Hartford Stage. A graduate of The Juilliard School with a BFA in Acting, Mr. Gann has appeared in a long list of Off-Broadway productions and in the films THE SURROGATE and THE HURT LOCKER.

Caroline Kinsolving, who appeared with Mia Farrow and Christine Baranski in LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE took on the role of the snooty Adrienne, a jewelry designer who went through four IVF miscarriages before giving birth to her daughter and has the emotional and physical battle scars to prove it. The actress had the great aim required by her role.

Scenic design by Kristen Robinson, in her Hartford Stage debut, was troubling to me at first glance, but I suppose it was to suggest the claustrophobic nature of the lives of the young mothers, eventually opening up at the end of the play, when perhaps it should not have. Just my opinion, of course. Thankfully, it did not detract from the performances of the players and I was certainly impressed that there was a light rain that fell upon the set at the beginning of the show. Lighting design by Matthew Richards was admirable with baby sound design by Karin Graybash adding to the mood. Costume design by Blair Gulledge (A LESSON IN ALOES) was appropriate for the varieties of Long Island mothers in the cast.

Ms. Metzler is the author of ELEMENO PEA, THE MAY QUEEN, CARVE, CLOSE UP SPACE and TRAINING WISTERIA. She has written for CASUAL on Hulu and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK on Netflix. She is currently working on writing the screenplay adaptation of Ali Benjamin’s award-winning young adult novel, The Thing about Jellyfish.

In the upper lobby of the theater was a striking display of photos of different experiences from local community members of their first few months of being a parent. CRY IT OUT was produced by Rick and Beth Costello with lead sponsor Stanley Black & Decker and corporate partner Federman, Lally and Remis. The show runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Go see it!

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.

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