‘You Got Older’ a high-caliber production of Clare Barron’s play
With themes of family, resilience and illness, You Got Older is a poignant play with comic elements written by award-winning playwright Clare Barron. Now playing at Benchmark Theatre, it’s a high-caliber production that touches the human soul through its profound storytelling.
At the center of the play is Mae (Courtney Esser), who has been dealt several terrible blows in her young life — including being dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her job. Making matters worse, her Dad (Marc Stith) has been diagnosed with a fast-moving form of cancer. While unemployed and boyfriend-less, Mae returns home to care for her ailing Dad, embarking on a journey mixed with familial caretaking and, at times, rebellion.
As Act One progresses, Mae sneaks out of her dad’s house and lands in a local bar, hooking up with a childhood acquaintance, Mac (Christopher Berghoff). A sexual connection manifests, with Mac sneaking into Mae’s bedroom one night to consummate the relationship. Mae also has lustful, dream-like fantasies about a hyper-rugged Cowboy (Orion Carrington) that play out erotically several times under Dad’s roof. All of this while Mae grapples with loneliness and self-doubt.
Act Two opens in the hospital, where Dad is now being treated, and we meet Mae’s siblings Matthew (Jame Giordano), Hannah (Lauren Bahlman), and Jenny (Jaqueline Hahn) as they hover over Dad during his waning days. We are treated to lively sibling banter as Mae attempts to connect with her brother and two sisters even while her life is falling apart. Ultimately, Mae is tougher than she thinks and musters the courage to turn her life around despite her fears and internalized shortcomings.
As Mae, Esser delivers a full-bodied performance that captures a sense of aimlessness as well as resilience. Ultimately, we are confident she will make it despite being thrown multiple curveballs. In the role of Dad, Stith embodies an incredibly complex character who is both living and on the verge of dying. It is a precarious tightrope to play, and Stith does so admirably.
Jacqueline Hahn as Jenny and Lauren Bahlman as Hannah in ‘You Got Older’ | Photo: RDGPhotography
Strong storytelling
As directed and designed by Neil Truglio, You Got Older is superb storytelling from start to finish. Truglio emphasizes the internal struggle that Mae is facing and builds upon her complex relationship with Dad while not shying away from depicting Mae’s explicit sexual fantasies to their fullest. Given that multiple scenes are presented throughout the play, Truglio’s design is highly functional and serves the production well.
A special mention goes to intimacy director Ashleigh Davis. Davis gives special attention to moments in the play that are suggestive and erotic, capturing these moments with honesty while advancing the storyline.
Often filled with comic dialogue, Barron’s play is replete with vast amounts of self-doubt and personal examination, but ultimately glimmers of hope and strength shine through. At times, Barron moves from scene to scene with an abruptness that can be jarring, but eventually, there is a solid quality to her writing that embodied You Got Older into a prize-winning play when it first opened.
You Got Older is a prime example of what theatre does best: telling a story through the characters’ relationships and presenting a full-bodied experience for the theatergoer. Benchmark has found its niche with this production, which is a tribute to its great storytelling.
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