Mother Nature – Metro Weekly

Steph del Rosso’s neat family drama unstable A sober world premiere will be performed at the Mosaic Theater, courtesy of director Jaki Bradley.

Incorporating real-life rhythms, the play follows Literacy Now staffer Tilly (Zoe Walpole) camping in the one-bedroom New York City apartment she shares with her writer boyfriend, Drew (Jonathan Del Palmer).

The couple also suddenly and without notice got a new roommate. That’s Tilly’s chipper and curious mother, Vi (Kimberly Schlaff). Although she makes it clear that it’s not a bad thing because she cares about the environment, Vi is passively and actively moving as part of an ongoing plan to downsize her suburban life.

It’s for the sake of the planet, not because she’s a divorcee and doesn’t know what to do with herself. So she sold her car and put her house on the market. And the conscious downsizing continues once she’s installed in Tilly and Drew’s fairly minimal space. As part of her response, she took inventory of plastic containers and made sure she could get rid of them all.

In Schlaf’s skilled hands, Vi acts calmly and appears to be firmly directing her actions. Her straightforward enthusiasm is what makes this play most interesting. At the same time, and more poignantly, Vi seems lost in intense loneliness, and perhaps as a symptom of aging.

In fact, the character opens with a nicely meandering monologue about getting lost on his way to his apartment, revealing an endearing self-awareness that he can’t always trust his own sense of direction.

During her stay, she also revealed an earnest desire for a less affectionate connection, one that rings true in Schlaf’s performance. Tilly’s growing frustration with her mother is reflected in the way Walpole tries to deal with his daughter from the bottom of his heart, even if he keeps his mouth shut.

Del Rosso teasingly raises the possibility that it’s not just her mother that Tilly always carries on her back, but the universe. Tilly wonders aloud if her karma is cursed after Vi’s arrival is immediately followed by the appearance of rats, leaky rain, and a city-wide power outage.

Unfortunately, while the space connections are promising, they don’t make much sense in terms of story or comedy. The heightened tension between Tilly and Drew doesn’t change the sense of restraint that pervades the film. The show moves briskly from scene to scene, bouncing comfortably around Misha Kachman’s naturalistic apartment set, but it doesn’t generate enough dynamic charge.

The problem may be that Walpole and Del Palmer seem content to respond to Schlaff’s more dynamic interpretations, rather than matching or even daring to exceed his energy. Moreover, neither Tilly nor Drew were written to reveal the same depth or register similar influences as Vi.

Essentially, this is Vi’s play, and Schlaf ensures that no matter how one reacts or questions her fanatical dedication to environmental cleanup, we at least engage and fully consider the woman’s humanity. But to reach the end, these three characters have to go somewhere together. With one person driving everything and doing almost all the hauling, there’s only enough power to push you over the edge.

Unstable (★★★☆☆) runs through June 28 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets range from $62 to $79, with discount options and rush tickets available for each performance. Please call 202-399-7993 ext. 2 or visit mosaictheater.org.