In ‘No Wake,’ the humans are as wobbly as the imperiled loons
“No Wake” may be the gentlest drama you’ll see on a Milwaukee stage this season, except for the moments when Robert Spencer picks up a bullhorn to scream at jet skiers and power boaters.
Like some stubborn prophet, Peter Michaels (Spencer) is committed to a cause that may or may not be hopeless: protecting a nest of loons from the human evils that could destroy it, including fishing line and lead sinkers.
However, loons aren’t the only troubled species that Madison playwright Erica Berman observes carefully in “No Wake.” Berman also has her eye on a pair of homo sapiens: Michaels, the bullhorn-brandishing retiree, and 19year-old Sarah Jones (Hannah Shay), a salty townie hired to clean the lake cottage next door. Both are encumbered by grief they’re unwilling to share, and both seem to lack the courage to take a key step forward.
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre opened the world premiere of “No Wake” Saturday evening, directed by Kayleigh Kitzman. It’s a production that’s right-sized for Chamber in nearly every way, relying on the interplay of two skilled actors, Berman’s clear dialogue and essential contributions by sound designer Grover Hollway (loon calls and atmospheric music) and lighting designer Alexander Ridgers (constantly shifting lake light).
It’s not surprising that the remarkable Spencer, a decade older than the 71-year-old he’s playing, makes a believable old man. But he’s so graceful that he’s constantly a pleasure to watch and hear. In his presence, Shay’s guarded Sarah gradually dismantles the carapace that holds her back as much as it protects her.
Berman’s script touches on many subjects, ecological and human, but never overplays its resources. Even the decisions that face both characters, and the help they give each other, are reasonable. And as timeless as its bucolic Lake Winnipesaukee setting is, it’s a distinctly 21st-century play that incorporates cellphones adroitly and pokes fun at silly craft IPA names.