IVINS — When a piece of theater manages to be entertaining, people usually consider the evening a success. But when that same piece of theater delves into an extremely difficult topic and handles it with grace, humor and sensitivity, shaping one’s very soul with an entertaining flourish, you’ve really hit the jackpot. Such is the level of care with which the Center for the Arts at Kayenta in Ivins, Utah handles the depiction of a family traversing the uncertainty and heartache of early onset Alzheimer’s in The Caregiver’s Guide, playing Feb. 19-22 and 25-28. Written by Jami Brandli and directed by Rob Goodman, The Caregiver’s Guide deftly walks the line between hope and heartache; showcasing the myriad paths grief can take, while keeping the audience laughing at regular intervals – a feat that seems, to use a theme from the play itself, downright heroic.
A Caregiver’s Guide tells the story of Paul Miller, played by Dean Jones, a father of three adult children whose wife Virginia, Kelly Bellini, died from early onset Alzheimer’s years earlier. The question plaguing siblings Dawn, Zac, and April is whether they carry the mutant gene that will bring them to a similar end as their mother. When Zac begins noticing signs of forgetfulness and odd behavior in his own life, he takes the test and learns that he too will be battling the “Alz-monster” as they call it. Bereft, but still in denial, he reaches out to his family and their rally to his side, along with each of their coping mechanisms, comprises the bulk of the play.
Deep in the red rock outskirts of Southern Utah, the Center for the Arts at Kayenta has managed to assemble an team with some surprisingly impressive credits. From Bellini’s 18-year history as a stunt double on productions including “Spiderman,” “The Walking Dead,” “Avengers,” and others, to a director whose nearly 50 years in the theater world includes directing more than 60 productions, including 25 world premieres, the entire cast’s skill creates a richness that goes far beyond what one might expect in such a remote place.
Set on a black box style stage with extremely simple set pieces and props, the production offers a raw, stripped-down feeling from the get-go. The pre-show explanation clarified that this piece was part of Kayenta’s 2024 New Play Lab and is currently in the middle of the journey a play goes through to reach its ultimate fruition. Giving audiences a glimpse at this work-in-progress is an integral part of the process, offering the playwright feedback on which pieces of the storyline are well received, and which need further examination.
Being part of the theatrical process is a fascinating prospect, but even with this knowledge, the storyline felt remarkably polished and was extremely well executed by a more-than-capable cast.
Jones’ depiction of family patriarch Paul Miller checks all the boxes of a caring, but aging father, who is doing his best to keep his family together and nurture memories of his wife. His gentle-yet-firm demeanor with his children makes it easy to see him as a loving man who raised his children to be productive members of society, while giving them space to struggle as all humans do.
Turning in an incredibly believable role as the oldest child, Lizzy Kimball’s version of big sister Dawn showcased her determination to be there for her family, even when that devotion took its toll on her personally. Her time at the computer interacting with “Mary Sue,” author of the online Caregiver’s Guide, played beautifully by Bellini, were some of the best moments in the show, thanks to both Kimball and Bellini’s roles. When Bellini donned her bedazzled horn-rimmed glasses and wound the scarf around her neck, you knew it was time for some truth – paired with a large wine glass of humor.
Bellini – whose primary role is that of the deceased mother – poured in an out of the stage with the grace of a professional dancer. Her lilting movements in her family’s memories, as well as her portrayal of the masked “Alz-monster” showcased her wide range of talents and added depth to the cast overall. Equally noteworthy, Jacqueline Misaye’s portrayal of the youngest child, whose experience with her mother’s diagnosis led to a career as a neuroscientist was remarkably steady and mature. Additionally, her coping method of throwing herself into work and intellectual reason is relatable to many.
Although the majority of the story takes place in present day, the adult cast members successfully portrayed their characters as children as well as adults, going back to childhood memories with their mother. For example, Jared Shipley’s use of body language and impressive acting created a believable 12-year-old version of Zac and gave a glimpse to his relationship with his mother when she was struggling with the disease. Shipley also deserves high praise for bringing the fear of someone struggling with the disease to the forefront of the play. His use of dark humor was understandable, if not occasionally uncomfortable, and he readily served as a catalyst for moving the rest of the cast into their feelings of guilt or pain.
Directorially, the production was handled extremely well with only a few things to note. From a staging perspective, the decision to seat the family around a traditional round table during their dinner scenes, while authentic to real life, felt uncomfortable for the stage. Having two of the actors’ backs to the audience during the dialogue detracted from their performance in those moments and could easily be remedied by arranging the table to fit the proscenium stage setup. Additionally, the opening scene wherein the mother dances around with what appears to be the adult actors portraying very young children, was confusing, and never really explained. Beyond setting the character of the mother up as a dance instructor – which wasn’t really discussed – it is one area that could be either further defined or cut altogether in the next rewrite.
What absolutely must remain, however, are the real emotions, the messaging and the careful portrayal of this difficult disease. Kudos to Brandli for her excellent script and bringing such a topic to light in such a warm, accessible way.
A Caregiver’s Guide continues at Kayenta (881 Coyote Gulch Court, Ivins, UT 84738) through Feb. 28th. Check out https://kayentaarts.org/portfolio/the-caregivers-guide/ for more information.