By Judd Hollander
Photo by Sandrine Lee
The phrase "My mother has four noses" is not a
play on words, a joke, parody or something with any major cosmic significance. Rather,
it refers to something much more serious and all too real in Jonatha Brooke's
very moving one-person show of the same name. This revelation being the
starting point in Brooke's tale regarding her relationship with her mother,
especially during the final two years of her mom's life.
Brooke takes great care to paint a clear picture of her mom,
Nancy Lee Stone through words and pictures, thus allowing the audience to feel
they know her quite well. Nancy wrote poetry, had a great sense of humor and was
a devout Christian Scientist to the point she ignored a personal medical
situation for nearly two decades; leading to the loss of part of her face and
the introduction of the four noses in the title - one for each season of the
year. Brooke pointing out that while her mother depended heavily on her faith,
when there was some kind of crises "then she turned to me". Brooke
also admits that her own rejection of this religion caused something of a
strain in their relationship. Yet through it all there remains a deep
connection between the two women, one often more of emotion than words.
Things change when Nancy
starts experiencing signs of dementia. Jonatha becoming her de facto caregiver,
along with the support of her husband and her husband's sister Julie. Brooke describing
the painful process of beginning to lose someone she loves to a condition over
which she has no control and where flashes of her mom's humor and lucidity mix
with ever-increasing incidents of disorientation, rage and anger. There's also
the issue of her becoming incontinent and all that that entails. Most telling
of all however, is the ever-present fear Nancy
starts to exhibit, such as when she refuses to take her various medications and
the struggles that resulted in an effort to get her to do just that.
This is a tale that is sadly all too universal and Brooke's unhesitancy about bringing forth her own feelings in the matter allows the story to shine as she recounts the huge struggles and occasional triumphs she experienced while dealing with
It also helps that Brooke tosses in a goodly amount of humor
into the mix to leaven out the overall seriousness of her tale. Such as when
her mother is trying to plan an escape in a wheelchair during a physical
therapy session following knee surgery. Stories like these - which include
talking about the different noses and her mom' s love of hats - also help to
show more than just the pain and hardship of what was happening, thus making
the entire piece much more interesting and involving.
Where things run into problems is when Brooke, who is also a
singer/songwriter, injects various musical moments into the story. That's not
to say the songs she performs aren't good - it's just that they're not really
necessary and serve more as a distraction from the overall narrative. It's this
uneven blending of styles that keep things somewhat off balance and also succeed
in removing an element of immediacy from the tale. It also results in the show feeling
a bit too long and taking too much time to get to its ultimate conclusion.
Jeremy B. Cohen's direction is fine as he helps Brooke, who obviously has a clear idea of the story she wants to tell, bring the proper emotional emphasis to the forefront, though Cohen is also hamstrung by the use of the musical selections, which ultimately keep the tale from delivering its maximum potential.
Also quite good are Caite Hevner Kemp's various projections,
which greatly aid in creating a more fully formed image of Brooke's mom. Also deserving
of mention are the efforts of the two onstage musicians, Ben Butler and Anja
Wood.
My Mother Has Four
Noses is a very touching and personal tale and Brooke deserves great credit
for being able to talk about her experiences so clearly and expressively. However,
it probably would have worked better without the various musical touches.
My Mother Has Four
Noses
Written and Performed by Jonatha Brooke
Directed by Jeremy B. Cohen
Produced by Patrick Rains
Associate Producer: Pam Carter
Musical Director/Guitar: Ben Butler
Cello: Anja Wood
Orchestrations: Jonatha Brooke & Ben Butler
Set & Projection Design: Caite Hevner Kemp
Lighting Design: ML Geiger
Sound Design: Paul Mitchell
Production Stage Manager: Anne Lowrie
Musical Contractor: Antoine Silverman
General Management: The Work Room
Assistant Stage Manager: Rachael Gass
Assistant Stage Manager: Rachael Gass
Marketing: Red Riding Marketing
Advertising: Media
Bridge Advertising
Press: Susan Blond, Inc. & Coyle entertainment
The Duke on 42nd
Street
Tickets: (646) 223-3010 or www.dukeon42.org/Shows/2014/4Noses.aspx.
Additional Information: http://4noses.org, http://jonathabrooke.com or https://www.facebook.com/jonathabrooke
Running Time: Two Hours, with One Intermission
Closes: May
4, 2014
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