Imagination runs wild in Mr. Marmalade

Imagination runs wild in Mr. Marmalade

by Miryam Gordon - SGN A&E Writer MR. MARMALADE BY NOAH HAIDLE DIRECTED BY KATJANA VADEBONCOEUR STARRING MARYA SEA KAMINSKI WASHINGTON ENSEMBLE THEATRE THROUGH MARCH 16 Lucy has got to be the weirdest, most precocious 4-year-old you'll ever hope to meet. She's a very lonely little latchkey girl who has the most active imagination possible. Her imaginative stories include soap-operatic adult relationships and headline news-style tribulations. She plays "house" very seriously. Like many little children, Lucy has imaginary playmates, but hers include an alcoholic, cocaine-addicted, abusive adult male friend named Mr. Marmalade. She seems addicted to him. In the adult world, her attachment would be called "co-dependent." Noah Haidle has written a fascinating relationship play, which the WET ensemble has produced in a joyously exuberant fashion. Director Katjana Vadeboncoeur gets the most out of her troupe as they push the boundaries of social taste and interaction. While Marya Sea Kaminski keeps all eyes on her amazing Lucy, there is still room for hysterical performances by Rhonda Soikowski as her mother and babysitter among other small roles, and Michael Place as the astonishing Mr. Marmalade. Jonah Von Spreeken, a guest artist to the usual ensemble, is mesmerizing as the real 5-year-old friend, Larry, the youngest suicide attempt ever in New Jersey. It's fascinating in a sort of train-wreck way & you'd have to really think about it for a while to figure out what it might be saying about society, but during the performance there is no time to think, as the action hurtles through the long night (in the play, not the length of performance). Between scenes there is a kind of hold-your-breath waiting for what might happen next. The sheer surprise of each scene is something to treasure for those who get tired of knowing exactly what's going to happen next. WET's reputation for edgy excellence is extended yet again. For more information, go to www.washingtonensemble.org or call 206-850-7684. Comments on reviews go to sgncritic@gmail.com.