Joshua Jackson John McGinty, Lauren Ridloff and Julee Cerda in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Children of a Lesser God. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
by Mark G. Auerbach
Children of a Lesser God, the award-winning play of 1980 and subsequent movie hit of 1986 with William Hurt and Marlee Matlin, is getting a most-welcome revival at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Fitzpatrick Theatre in Stockbridge. Brought back to the stage with an all-star cast and creative team, this production has aspirations for a bigger life beyond The Berkshires. Can Broadway be in the near-distant future?
Children of a Lesser God goes way beyond the surface of a speech teacher trying to communicate with a deaf woman. We all struggle with the need to communicate. Do people hear what we say? Do people listen when we speak? In a world where we’re judged on what we say as well as what we didn’t say, or what we mean in 140 characters or less, we all have this need to be heard.
Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Children of a Lesser God. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Mark Medoff’s play is still compelling almost forty years after its premiere, and as technology has helped many deaf people communicate with the hearing world and vice versa, and as new technologies help people of all abilities communicate quicker and easier, the need to be heard on one’s own terms remains strong.
Kenny Leon, Tony Award winner for his 2014 revival of A Raisin In The Sun, and director of The Wiz Live and Hairspray Live forTV, helms this production. One of America’s most distinguished directors of both new plays and revivals, Leon stages Children of a Lesser God with ingenuity and excitement. Derek McLane’s unit set is simple, and Mike Baldassari’s lighting designs are brilliant. I found Dede M. Ayite’s costumes superb.
Lauren Ridloff and Joshua Jackson in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Children of a Lesser God. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Joshua Jackson commands the stage as the speech teacher. It’s a challenging role, and Jackson is riveting throughout the play. Lauren Ridloff as Sarah, the deaf woman he tries to help, falls in love with, and marries, gives a tour-de-force performance that is a marvel to behold. With fluid body movement, rapid sign language, and expressive eyes and gestures, she speaks a myriad of emotions with a simple look, pose, or lunge. Ridloff, who is deaf, i the heart and soul of Medoff’s play, and she’s able to express a myriad of complex thoughts and emotions without uttering a word. The supporting cast, especially John McGinty and Treshelle Edmoind as students, all add up to an ensemble performance well worth watching. Stage veterans Kecia Lewis, Stephen Spinella, and Julee Cerda are all excellent.
ASL interpreters are woven in to the production, and Candace Broecker-Penn, Dylan Geil, and Joan Wattman add context to the play, and solid performances as well.
Is Children of a Lesser God Broadway-ready? Most definitely yes. Is Broadway ready for Children of a Lesser God? I’d certainly think so, because this play offers a richness of comedy and drama with a theme people can understand. It’s time for a revival.
Children of a Lesser God runs through July 22. The Westfield News Group is one of the production sponsors.
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The Berkshire Theatre Group presents Children of a Lesser God. by Mark Medoff. Directed by Kenny Leon. Scenic design by Derek McLane. Costumedesign by Dede M. Ayite. Lighting design by Mike Baldassari. Sound design by Nevin Steinberg. Cast: Julee Cerda, Treshelle Edmond, Kecia Lewis, Joshua Jackson, John McGinty, Lauren Ridloff, Stephen Spinella. Through July 22. . The Berkshire Theatre Group’s Fitzpatrick Main Stage., Stockbridge, MA. For tickets: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio. Mark produces and hosts ArtsBeat Radio on 89.5fm/WSKB Radio.
