LESSER AMERICA
presents

in a word
By Lauren Yee
Directed by Tyne Rafaeli

With Justin Mark, José Joaquin Perez, Laura Ramadei

Producing Directors: Daniel Abeles, Nate Miller
Scenic and Lighting Design: Oona Curley
Costume Design: Andrea Hood
Sound Design: Stowe Nelson

Today is the two-year anniversary of Fiona’s son’s disappearance, and still, nothing makes sense to her. Not her blasé husband, the incompetent detective, or the neighborhood kidnapper who keeps introducing himself in the checkout line. As Fiona delves back into her memories of that fateful day to uncover that crucial missing piece, grief and comedy collide, and ordinary turns of phrase take on dangerous new meanings.

June 16 – July 8

Running time: 80 minutes, no intermission

The grief of losing a child is, in a word, unimaginable. Yet Lauren Yee’s new play in a word, a production from Cherry Lane Theater and Lesser America directed by Tyne Rafaeli, sets out to portray the inner workings of that grief. Her poetic language brings that grief to life in the play’s journey from comedic coping to catharsis. Guy (Jose Joaquin Perez) wants to take his wife Fiona (Laura Ramadei) to dinner, but she’s not ready. Far from readiness being a wardrobe issue, Fiona hasn’t been out in two years, since the disappearance of their seven-year-old son Tristan. Where her husband wants to try to be happy again, Fiona finds herself trapped in her past memories with her son. Playwright Lauren Yee takes us through those memories with her mesmerizing language, casting the audience into Fiona’s troubled mind to uncover what continues to haunt her. At times unreliable and at times heartbreakingly real, Fiona’s memories roll through her interactions with the detective charged with the case, suspicious supermarket customers, and, of course, her young son Tristan (all of these characters are played by Justin Mark, who is named in the program as an ubiquitous “Man”). Through these memo …Read more