See BE HERE NOW…NOW at Pygmalion Productions

SALT LAKE CITY — Pygmalion Productions’ Be Here Now by Deborah Zoe Laufer is an intimate, thought-provoking experience about Bari, a woman who feels she is living a meager existence in rural America after losing her job in the big city. Never one for optimism or positivity, Bari begins suffering from headaches leading to increased feelings of passion, clarity and purpose. As Bari ponders the realities of her condition, she must choose between longevity, potentially void of her newfound perceptions, or living with sporadic moments of ecstasy, happiness and love even if it’s for a short time.

Under the direction of Jason Bowcutt, April Fossen as Bari leads this four-person cast and gives an exquisite performance commanding the stage. The introduction to Bari was particularly enjoyable as she begrudgingly attends a yoga class alongside her friends and co-workers Patty Cooper (Brenda Hattingh Peatross) and Luanne Cooper (Niki Rahimi). Fossen’s facial expressions and movements are delightful and comical and an amusing way to meet such a challenging character.

One of Fossen’s great strengths throughout this 90-minute production was expressing Bari’s angst as she channeled uncharted territory. Bari’s confusion and frustration was palpable, and as she evolved her happiness, even giddiness, was infectious. Fossen’s rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts and feelings was appreciated by this reviewer because as someone who lives with a similar condition (albeit with important differences) it was a respectful representation of this life-changing diagnosis.

April Fossen as Bari in Be Here Now. Produced by Pygmalion Productions the show plays through May 17th, 2025 at Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. Photo credit: Robert Holman.

Peatross and Rahimi each gave compelling performances. Peatross as the middle-aged Patty who accepts life isn’t perfect but still carries a layer of optimism within herself. Rahimi as the young, idealistic, and a bit naïve Luanne with a strong belief in God. As one with family living in small-town America, it is said with confidence that Laufer’s script and Peatross and Rahimi’s portrayals felt authentic. I was particularly struck with the accuracies of Patty fear of driving in a city and Luanne never straying far from her hometown.

There was wonderful chemistry between Fossen, Peatross and Rahimi. However, at times their scenes felt slow, particularly the initial fulfillment center scene, and could potentially benefit from different pacing directions.

The final character in this ensemble is Mike Cooper, performed by Matthew Sincell. Sincell’s performance was breathtaking, and Sincell truly was Fossen’s equal. Throughout, I observed with fascination how deceiving first impressions really can be as more information is revealed about Mike’s past. Initially, Mike appeared happy-go-lucky, quirky, and aloof. Then, Sincell powerfully displayed Mike’s internal turmoil after inflicting unspeakable grief upon himself and others when he fell asleep at the wheel. One exceptionally striking moment was Mike explaining to Bari how he was trying to keep his life small – that he was just trying to be here hour by hour. If ever a single sentence could describe those living in constant grief, “hour by hour” just might be as close as it gets.

Be Here Now has a very unique set designed by Allen Smith. Upon entering the Leona Wagner Black Box Theatre, I was struck with the size of the set and all the many details contained within it: a box fan, bike wheels, a laundry basket just to name a few. Smith’s set design kept my attention until the performance began and I enjoyed coming to understand how all the details fit into the story.

One technical aspect of Pygmalion Productions that is always enjoyable due to its unmatched professionalism and execution is the use of lighting and sound. In lightning, designer Chad Henwood’s decision adjusting the lighting whenever Bari experiences a headache is a powerful addition and helped illustrate the strangeness of the situation. If anything, the lighting could be even more aggressive to enhance the scene more.

Soundscape Designer and Sound Operator Mikal Troy Klee was instrumental in a favorite scene as Bari and Mike are “listening to Spring.” It was a beautiful way to conclude the performance.

Be Here Now is a brilliant, deeply moving production with strong performances, thoughtful script and superb technical designs. Additionally, this reviewer would like to thank Pygmalion Productions and all those involved for bringing this production to fruition. Remarkably, this story has two parallels to my own life I did not know in advance, ones I am grateful are represented on the stage: epilepsy and drowsy driving. With all my respect to Mr. Bowcutt and the entire cast and crew, I would like to dedicate my review to my beautiful sister-in-law Shannon who was senselessly taken from us by a drowsy driver. Hour by hour.

These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.