DIVERSIONARY’S ‘A KIND OF WEATHER’ IS INSIGHTFUL, PLAYFUL, MOVING
Exploring relationships onstage — whether between father and son, lovers or boss and employee — is a challenge to get right. Adding matters of gender to the equation raises the ante even higher.
Sylvan Oswald’s “A Kind of Weather,” in its world premiere at Diversionary Theatre, meets these challenges by being honest, insightful and playful.
The nimble cast is led by Andrew Oswald (no relation to the playwright) as Grey, the father, and August Forman as Kid, the son. The five actors in this smart, funny and moving production deftly handle different theatrical forms as well as a wide range of emotions.
The thought-provoking play begins with Kid and Grey, side-by-side, speaking to the audience in separate monologues. Grey, shrouded in memories and confusion, has landed unannounced on the doorstep of his son, a mostly well-adjusted, 20something transgender man.
A writer with a book deadline, Kid works at home in his one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment and is not thrilled by his father’s plans for a long visit. As the monologues become a dialogue, Grey assures Kid he won’t stop his son from “doing his thing.” Kid wryly responds: “My thing is solitude.”
Throughout “Weather,”
‘A Kind of Weather’
When: 7 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays-saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through March 8.
Where: Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights
Tickets: $15-$50 (discounts available)
Phone: (619) 220-0097 Online: diversionary.org
the actors talk to each other and directly to the audience, effectively inviting theatergoers in on the action. The dialogue/monologue combination flows smoothly but also elicits laughter and surprise. This technique enlivens and quickens the play’s overall pace.
The storyline thickens with Rose (Andréa Agosto), Kid’s girlfriend of three months and his book editor. While their physical chemistry seems a bit forced at first, they generate heat in later scenes and their conversations always crackle and spark.
Set in 2012, “Weather” reveals familial secrets through its journeys to the past. A deceased family member plays a pivotal role in the story of Kid and Grey. But the two men have their own stories, too.
Forman plays the quickwitted Kid with impeccable timing, buoyant enthusiasm and guarded pathos. As he sorts out his feelings toward Rose, he is also pushing back against his publisher’s suggestion to write a memoir about his gender transition.
“It’s not a transition, except for other people,” Kid explains.
Kid’s father, Grey, is grieving more than one loss. He is riddled with guilt and mixed up about his son’s identity as a trans man who “likes girls.” Grey is sleeping on his son’s couch, while mired in the past.
A terrific Andrew Oswald wears Grey’s unhappiness on his heavily weighed-down shoulders. But in happier flashbacks and during a few lucid conversations, Oswald becomes visibly lighter and livelier.
“A Kind of Weather” has delightfully amusing forays into other genres, including a musical number and a soapopera spoof. Agosto brings humor and fortitude to Rose’s uncomfortable duality as editor and girlfriend. Salomón Maya and Marci Anne Wuebben capably round out the uniformly excellent cast.
Enhancing the production is the lovely, deceptively simple stage design by Yichien Lee. The background first appears to be artwork, but the tree-lined glass occasionally serves as another stage.
Weather is more than a title; it signifies the unpredictability of life, love and sensuality. Joel Britt (lighting) and Maeann Ross (sound) help to animate atmospheric events and dramatic moments. The muted dance music behind the glass in a party scene is especially effective.
Director Bea Basso unites these disparate elements and various genres into a seamless and absorbing whole.
Wood is a freelance writer.