Eric Rupp and Emily-Grace Murray in ROZ & RAY on the Players Club of Swarthmore’s 2nd Stage
By Ellen Wilson Dilks
Swarthmore’s Players Club opens their 2nd Stage slate of programming with the two-hander ROZ & RAY. Directed by Michele King, the production runs weekends through October 19th, with a matinee added on Sunday the 13th.
Karen Hartman’s ROZ & RAY is a poignant examination of the AIDS crisis in the last century. The fear, the misleading information and the ethical dilemma faced by physicians treating the disease. The story deals with Ray, the single father of twin boys who are hemophiliacs, and struggle to find a treatment that will help them live. Enter Dr. Roz Kagan, who believes she’s found a new miracle drug, Factor 8, that will give AIDS patients the life-saving treatment they desperately need. Dr. and parent find themselves slowly trusting each other and gradually gaining hope that this really is the miracle they need. Sadly, tragedy strikes, and Ray and Roz find themselves questioning their decisions as it is revealed that Factor 8 might pose serious dangers to the very people it was meant to save.
Sadly, the lessons it gives are still all too relevant today. What price should we pay for medical advances? Should the government control what diseases get research support? Why are some illnesses stigmatized?
My brother is a gay man; he and his husband have been out since the early 70s, and they were very active in their community. They fought via various means for more support for those men afflicted with “gay cancer,” as it was initially called. I once got a glimpse of their address book—and the number of names crossed out because they had died of AIDS, was depressing and daunting. No one started paying attention to AIDS until “straight people like Ryan White (a young hemophiliac) and Kimberly Bergalis (a virginal coed who was infected during a dental procedure) became ill.
A number of hemophiliacs contracted the disease due to a contaminated drug called “Factor” that was used to help with blood clotting. It was far less invasive than transfusions.
In Hartman’s moving and intense play, single father Ray is trying to cope with the heavy responsibilities of raising twin sons who have hemophilia. He comes to Children’s Hospital in San Diego having heard of a new, safer treatment. There they meet Dr. Roz Kagan, a very empathetic doctor who takes time with her patients and shows amazing compassion. Things get extra personal with Ray because he has no support system. The story time hops from the 70s to the 90 to the 80s, etc. Against all odds the boys make it to aged 18, but Ray-Ray dose contract AIDS and dies. Ray and Roz both grapple with the pain of it—as well as the feeling of helplessness. But not before a lot of anger and threats on Ray’s part.
The 2nd Stage at PCS is also a rehearsal space, so sets need to be kept to a minimum; providing the scenic elements here are the work of Randall King. Ryan Radwill has done a great job on the lighting and sound design, while Kendra O’Donnell has nicely assembled the cast’s costumes. Video production is the work of Emily-Grace Murray and Mariah Rose ably serves as stage manager—she’s also created the props for the production. Andrew San Filippo and Jennifer Brown handle the important tasks of board ops for the lights and sound, while Taron Goldsboro and Lisa Verzella serve as crew. Kudos to all.
Eric Rupp is terrific as Ray—a father in way over his head. He deftly ping-pongs from great admiration for “Dr. Roz” to soul-wrenching anger and pain over the loss of his son. Rupp gives a deeply nuanced performance. Emily-Grace Murray is exceedingly winning and compelling as Dr. Roz, a woman whose life is totally dedicated to her patients. Murray pulls the viewer in and hangs on to us throughout her deft portrayal.
ROZ & RAY is not a laugh-filled evening of theatre, but instead it provokes us, challenges us and gets us thinking. Some of the parallels to the pandemic are scary—it shows it could happen again. It also shows how the shift in healthcare to a for-profit model—as well as Big Pharma’s greed has cost countless lives needlessly. We need to rethink the whole system.
WHEN YOU GO: The Players Club is located at 614 Fairview Road, Swarthmore, PA 19081. Just off Route 320 and 5 minutes from I-95 and Route 476, there is plenty of free off-street parking. Unfortunately, the 2nd Stage space is not handicapped accessible. ROZ & RAY has a running time of approximately 100 minutes (with NO intermission). Evening curtain times are at 7:30, with the Sunday matinees starting at 2pm. For ticket reservations, directions and further information, visit the website at www.pcstheatre.org The Box Office can be reached at 610-328-4271. A volunteer is available as follows: Mondays 10am to Noon, Tuesdays 6 to 8pm, Wednesdays 4 to 6pm and Saturdays 10am to Noon.
COVID Protocols: PCS is following all CDC guidelines. At this time, vaccine cards are not being checked and masks are voluntary.