From Backstage.com - 10/17/07

THE QUALITY OF LIFE
by Madeline Shaner

Playwright-director Jane Anderson jumps into the deep end in her exploration of the very private, soul-searing subject of relationships under the pressure of ineffable pain. In Ohio, Dinah (JoBeth Williams) and Bill (Scott Bakula), a solid Midwestern couple given to hiding their souls in private places, grieve for their brutally murdered daughter. In Northern California -- quite another place geographically, philosophically, and politically -- Dinah's cousin Jeannette (Laurie Metcalf), an unapologetic free spirit with all the passion that goes with it, grieves in her own way, which ostensibly involves not grieving, for the loss of their home to a blistering forest fire and for the imminent loss of her anthropology-professor husband, Neil (Dennis Boutsikaris), to late-stage cancer.

When the estranged cousins come together on the fire-scourged mountaintop where Neil and Jeannette have set up alfresco housekeeping, it's an unspoken declaration of war between the states of mind. Over and under, above and beyond the private hell these couples inhabit is breathtaking dialogue that covers life, death, sickness, health, belief, love, need, pain, acceptance and denial. Anderson's writing and direction are superb in their admirable depth -- quietly dramatic, simple and clear, yet holding back from making a definitive case for any privately held point of view, which is the finest way of promoting an extended discussion beyond the play's final curtain.

Each performance is its own gem, to be savored with awe. Bakula is in super control of Bill's banked fire, almost visibly seething inside while holding on to his Midwestern containment. Metcalf inhabits her post-hippie, tree-hugger role with the infectious passion of a true believer; inside and out, she's a poster child for life-loving innocent wisdom and acceptance. Williams winningly provides the satisfying unity of opposites as a simple woman struggling with her grief, her compassion, and her doubts. Boutsikaris has absorbed his characterization like the "medicine" Neil inhales for his pain; the spirit of his character comes close to being tangible in the performance.

François-Pierre Couture's set, Christina Haatainen Jones' costumes, Jason H. Thompson's lighting, and Karl Lundeberg's sound contribute to an eloquently satisfying experience.

© 2007 Nielsen Business Media

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