A Fine Madness, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington, DC
Justin Weaks, who created and performs A Fine Madness at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Photo credit: Christina Daniels.
It should come as no surprise that the current offering by
the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, which will be performed at various DC
locations, is something that defies easy classification. A Fine Madness,
conceived and performed by Justin Weaks, is not a play (as he makes clear early
on), but it is a kind of storytelling. Weaks is a talented actor who memorably impressed
me in his Helen Hayes Award-winning performance in Arena Stage’s 2023
production of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. Here, he takes
on the role of himself. A Fine Madness is a personal, timely,
insightful, 90 minutes of group therapy, audience participation, reflection,
and triumph, not just for Weaks, but for the audience as well.
A Fine Madness has its roots in the lockdowns of 2020
in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the memory of which every audience member
over 15 or so is seared into our souls. When the audience enters the
performance space, they receive a piece of paper, asking them to complete the
top portion. The responses are all collected and used later in the evening. The
question we were asked – I’m paraphrasing (because I turned in my answer) - is
something along the lines of “in what activity did you take comfort during the
lockdown?”
I use the term “performance space” specifically because the
evening takes place not in the usual Woolly Mammoth Theatre, but in their
basement level rehearsal room. Woolly’s theatre is intimate; audience (of 120
or so?) and performer sharing the smaller space doubles that intimacy. Staged
in a thrust arrangement, no audience member is more than four rows from the
primary acting space (what normally might be considered the stage). Performer and audience share the same space –
there is no “fourth wall” to be removed. Weaks interacts with the audience
directly; he is the one who collects the responses the audience has written
down and moves often to several lighting fixtures in the seating space. Future
performances will be staged in other venues (Dupont Underground, Hamiltonian
Artists, and the Nicholson Project).
COVID-19 is not the only virus affecting Weaks. He is
negotiating life as a gay Black man who has been diagnosed with HIV. Weaks informs
or reminds us that “U equals U”: undetectable means untransmissible. I don’t
recall that he disclosed exactly when he was diagnosed or when he became “U.”
Weaks is charismatic and personable, unafraid to confront
whatever he must, just as we all did during the early 2020s. His (and our)
survival required resilience and strength. From time to time, he takes on some
of the characters in his life, especially striking when impersonating his aunt
and a healthcare worker.
Weaks also reminds us that theatre is a space in which we
should be encouraged to “play.” While some audience members may have been
hesitant at first, by the end of the evening audience members were talking to
each other (as directed), I don’t think I saw any who were not participating.
And I know that in the vicinity of my seat, the conversations were serious and
sincere.
Justin Weaks in A Fine Madness. Photo credit: Christina Daniels.
The experience is directed by Raymond O. Caldwell, who helps
guide us through the action. The program lists a credit for Tony Thomas as
choreographer. While I don’t recall “dance moves,” per se, Weaks’s movement in
the space appears effortless. There is no specific credit for scene design or
lighting design, but whoever is responsible for the decoration of the space
deserves applause: it is a cozy, “homey” space including a podium, comfortable
chairs, figurines, a model of the solar system, a metronome, a microphone on a
stand, numerous lamps (which are used throughout the evening in unexpected
ways), even an overhead projector (I hadn’t seen one of those in years). Weaks
uses the projector in part to talk about and show Voyager 2, a space probe
launched almost 50 years ago and still sending back data regarding some of the
farthest reaches of our solar system. Voyager 2 is an unexpected inclusion in
the proceedings, but Weaks ties it in, along with other subjects.
Considerable contributions to the evening are the work of sound
designer Matthew Nielson, who has put together an extensive array of sounds
that continue throughout, and stage manager Jazzy Davis, who functions as a
kind of “mission control,” keeping time on the action at some points, issuing
direction at points during the audience participation opportunities.
What A Fine Madness will look and feel like in
different venues I don’t know – but those who take this journey with Weaks will
leave the space with a little more resolve and hope – both of which are
certainly needed. I can say that it is not everyone’s “cup of tea” (even though
tea is served!), but the trip will be challenging.
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