In America, guns aren’t just a right, they are a way of life. As of recent, though unfortunately, guns have become a hard topic to discuss. With school shootings sadly getting global attention, the questions become: Is this the by-product of living in a free society? Or are these tragedies the by-product of living in a careless society? The answer may be somewhere in the middle, but it is likely this blog won’t sway anyone to either side and regardless, that’s certainly not the goal. In 2017 though, a new play was produced with Roundabout Theatre Company in New York, and perhaps it brings more of an argument.
The new play titled On The Exhale, is written by acclaimed playwright Martin Zimmerman, directed by Leigh Silverman, and performed alone by Marin Ireland.
The new play titled On The Exhale, is written by acclaimed playwright Martin Zimmerman, directed by Leigh Silverman, and performed alone by Marin Ireland. It’s a one woman show, performed essentially as a giant one hour monologue, detailing an unnamed mother’s grief of having lost her son to gun violence. The entire piece is written as though the woman is explaining to anyone who will listen, her first person perception of the trauma she experienced the day of and after the passing of her son. In addition the woman then lays out how she herself went to the establishment where said gun was sold, how she tried the weapon out herself, purchased it, and then explains how she now grasps a new understanding and the actual feeling of gun ownership with even expressing the new appeal she’s discovered by doing so.
The play’s design is meant to come off as personal. Zimmerman wrote this piece with a clear plan in mind, with an aim to perhaps add a new perspective though doing so without trying to make people choose a side. To be frank though, Ireland does play off much of the dialogue as sarcastic and almost self-righteous, and it’s hard to know if that was the choice of the actress or the director. That said, the entire thing does seem to lean one direction more than the other. The set is bland, but that’s because there isn’t one. It’s the stage, and it’s the actress alone with the audience. This is fine, because the play is structured conversationally and there’s not much need to animate or do things too over the top. The lighting was also not overly ambitious, but again, a show like this doesn’t necessitate spectacle so that is easily overlooked. Besides; this play’s purpose is to share a story and one person’s journey, and Zimmerman’s writing is reflective of that, so there’s no need to do much more than what they did.
The play,On the Exhale debuted at their Black Box Theatre in New York, but Broadway HD is currently streaming it online. The play is only an hour, and unique in its form, so it’s not a bad way to spend some set aside time. Ignoring the fact that a play like this will divide people in their opinions, at the very least plays like this deserve a look.
