THE PUZZLE by Juliette Dunn. A World Premiere at Hedgerow Theatre. Kneeling: Michael Stahler and Daniel Passer; seated: David Shiner
By Ellen Wilson Dilks
“Only connect…”
~ EM Forster, Howard’s End
Sometimes a play grabs you, shakes you, and makes you think. It makes you laugh and then it tugs at your heart. It exposes you to an aspect of life you knew nothing about—and by opening that up to you, by giving you insights, the thing becomes less scary, less daunting. Juliette Dunn’s new piece, THE PUZZLE, does that. Running now through June 4th, this World Premiere delves into the world of autism.
THE PUZZLE’s first draft happened in 2012. Several months later it became a part of a New Play Development series at People’s Light, receiving its first public reading. In the fall of 2016, Dunn directed a staged reading at the Arden Theatre’s Hamilton Family Arts Center. 1812 Productions hosted a week-long developmental workshop of the play in January of 2018—under the direction of David Shiner. It was after this that the play was revamped and trimmed from 5 characters to the 3 currently featured.Hedgerow’s Executive Artistic Producer, Marcia Bramucci and Ms. Dunn have a long relationship, so Hedgerow was a natural choice for THE PUZZLE‘s premiere. The Autism community has been an integral part of the play’s “gestation and birth” throughout all of its iterations, including the workshops here at Hedgerow.
Autism has a broad range of levels and manifestations. Some neuro-divergent people seem pretty “regular,” and are highly functioning. They learn ways to cope in the “real world.” At the other end of the spectrum are those sort of trapped in their own minds. They’re generally quite intelligent, but lack the ability to organize their thoughts and express them clearly. Drawing from her experiences raising an autistic son, Dunn creates a unique scenario wherein a non-verbal young man is basically dumped by his family/caregivers in a vacant lot. Two homeless men, Finneas and Quinton, live in the lot. What ensues over the next two hours is a beautifully written story about three lost souls learning to connect with each other on a deep level. Finneas and Quinton are clowns, so they use their skills to try to get the boy to open up to them. Clowning and autism seem like an odd combination, but there are parallels. Both groups approach life from a different angle than the average person, both can have trouble getting their ideas across clearly, and both long for acceptance from others.
“Invisible threads are the strongest ties.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Tony award-winning and legendary clown, David Shiner, anchors the cast as Quinton, Finneas is played by Broadway veteran Daniel Passer—a frequent collaborator with Shiner. Philadelphia native Michael Stahler appears as The Boy. Shiner co-directs with Bill Fennelly—both men have directed on Broadway, with Cirque du Soleil, and across regional stages in the US and abroad. Shiner and Passer are delightful; you can tell they have worked together frequently as there is such a solid rapport between them. Stahler fits right in, bringing such pathos to his character. Fennelly guides the threesome with a gentle, but sure, hand. He allows the story to breathe, unfolding it for us.
The action flows swiftly from moment to moment on a fabulous set by Shawn Fisher. I thoroughly enjoyed studying it before the start of the performance. Lily Fossner’s lighting design places the focus where needed, when it’s needed, as well as aiding in establishing the mood of various moments. Interesting and character appropriate costumes are provided by Rebecca Kanach, while Karen Getz has created great movement choreography. Sean McGarry nicely handles the fight direction; with Kelsey Hebert serving as Intimacy Consultant. Lovely—and lively—music has been created by the following: Joe Gribbin (piano) and Alex the Listener (drumming),
THE PUZZLE is highly enlightening and entertaining. It opens one’s eyes to the struggle of those that are autistic, as well as those that don’t fit into the usual mold of what is “normal.” At its core, THE PUZZLE explores the basic human need to connect with others, to be seen and understood. If we would all just take the time to try and understand others, there would be far less hate in the world. Why is that so hard for us to do?
When You Go: THE PUZZLE plays through June 4th at Hedgerow Theatre – located in a 1740s converted grist mill at 64 Rose Valley Road, in Rose Valley, PA—just outside of Media. The performances have a runtime of 2 hours—plus a 10-minute intermission. Best enjoyed by ages 12+ Performances run Wednesdays thru Sundays, with evening curtains at 7pm and matinees at 2pm. Open-Captioned performances will be available May 24—28, with a Relaxed Performance May 27th at 2pm. An ASL Interpreted performance will be presented on May 28th at 2pm. For info on Content Warnings, visit the theatre’s website at www.hedgerowtheatre.org
There is ample free off-street parking, and the theatre is within walking distance of the Media-Elwyn train line—you would get off at the Moylan Station. Nearby Media Borough has a number of wonderful dining options along State Street for a pre-show meal. Or a post-show knosh. Hedgerow is fully handicapped accessible, information regarding this as well as directions, can be found on the Company’s website [see link above]. For tickets, call (610) 565-4211, or purchase them online.
NOTE: COVID Protocols: Masks are currently not required, but this may change if the number of cases rises in the area again. Please visit the website for details on these new policies.