Onstage’s intimate production of Eric Coble’s aging-family drama blends sharp humor, emotional volatility, and standout performances into a conversation-starting evening of theater.
There comes an age when, instead of thinking about your grandparents or parents, you think about yourself. And that is what happened to me seeing Onstage’s latest production, The Velocity of Autumn by Eric Coble. Set in an apartment in Brooklyn, Alexandra (Linda Benning) is an artist in her 80s and the mother of three. She has barricaded herself in the apartment because her two older children consider it better to put her in assisted living. The youngest son, Chris (James P. Darvas), who has been estranged for two decades, returns at the petition of his siblings and to buffer the situation.
What starts with a tree climb and an apartment with an array of Molotov cocktails ends up revealing more than intentions, feelings, and broken plans.
The two-hander, 80-minute, no-intermission play is a nonstop set of dialogues, like a tennis match: pow-pow-pow. Patrick Mason’s signature set design is full of detail and color, with the brownstone apartment, the tree, and Alexandra’s painting tools, all brightly lit by Ginger Chody’s design. Daren Scott’s direction has the piece set to an agile, consistent rhythm.
The Benning-Darvas duo is an intense yet super tender one. James Darvas as Chris embodies siblings who move and do not look back, with both the intensity and the natural worry given the situation, while Linda Benning’s interpretation of a mother of three adult children offers plenty of food for thought. Jaden Guerrero’s sound adds to the suspense of the happenings amongst the siblings
There is a motion with Brad Dubois’s costume design that is key to both characters.
Coble touches on a latent issue with aging parents: there comes a moment when their word or wish is no longer a priority. This is a signature play for Onstage, one that will linger and be brought up in conversations after experiencing it.
Currently playing until May 24. Industry night is this Monday, May 11.
Denise Lopez is the Stage Manager for this play, and Rhae Ferrer is the Assistant Stage Manager.
P.S I loved the recorded pre-curtain speech and the newly upholstered seats. It smells like new in there.
