Upon initial reading of Outcry Theatre’s newest production that would partially take place outdoors, my first thought was “Scavenger hunt?” While not entirely correct, after processing A Memorial Service for Lily Evergreen, the notion wasn’t too far off. A puzzle-pieced original play, the narrative depends on the audience member who then pieces together the story that they have collected individually leading to the play’s central finale.
Conceived by Becca and Jason Johnson-Spinos, the play is actually a memorial service for Lily Evergreen who committed suicide. She is survived by her future wife, siblings and friends all in attendance. As the funeral director prepares for the crowd, greetings, interactions and arguments happen among the characters throughout the funeral home. And there are some acrimonious folks with major drama that they brought to the service. These exchanges happen in and out of the space expanding on the characters’ relation to Lily and their unresolved issues with her and everyone else.
Outcry staged the show at the Stone Cottage in Addison which was an ideal place for this. The show begins with instructions to the audience outside the front door about the dos and don’ts that are also listed in the program. We are encouraged to explore the interior and exterior and get close to the actors who are having a scene. Sometimes they may interact with the audience or direct you into the right place, but mostly, it’s watching scenes play out after you discover them.
The actors were wholly committed to their parts despite the meandering audience surrounding them or walking on by. Actors would sometimes exit the building which opened to another scene for the audience to follow out to. There is no way to catch everything going on, yet somehow, each scene I watched, I was able to glean enough information to understand enough of some of the characters. Punctuating the play were movement pieces that added some whimsy and even a surprise light-up moment between two actors.
Among the actors I saw the most, Rashae Boyd had a lovely presence as Lily’s fiancee Parker. She gave a distinguished performance without relying on any grief-stricken cliches. Benjamin McElroy and Jessica Lomas were on the more colorful side with explosive performances and messy drama. A particular scene between Dahlia Parks and Trev Turnbow was low-key fabulous as they dragged each other’s art.
The concept quite literally kept the audience on its toes — or at least its feet. Becca Johnson-Spinos’ choreography was innovative and added an extra layer to the perpetual dialogue. Tyler Hester’s lighting was effective both in and out.
Each scene felt fully-realized but technical issues kept some from their full potential. Side door scenes were hard to hear and actors almost dialed their voices down. Specific to my experience last Friday night, surrounding sounds sometimes affected the clarity of outdoor scenes. In turn, there were sometimes too many scenes playing inside where scenes played over others which challenged focusing on one.
The play was very queer-forward despite queerness not being a central issue of the play. The play was more about family dynamics, grief and disappointment, but that the cast and characters were a diverse mix made for a show heavy on representation.
Conceptually, A Memorial Service for Lily Evergreen worked — and it seemed like it shouldn’t have. I admit, I wasn’t that onboard in the beginning because I tried to follow everything happening, but after letting go and following the action, the play was a captivating experience. Just keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately.
The show runs through Feb. 26.
–Rich Lopez
