“Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.”
― Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls
It is hard to describe the experience that is A Monster Calls now playing at The Kennedy Center in the Eisenhower Theater. Is it theater for Children? Is it dance? Is it a play for adults? Is it magic? There is all of this: music and dance and narration and puppetry and incredible acting and stage craft and imagination.
Based on a children’s story written by Patrick Ness (based in turn on the idea of Siobhan Dowd, who died of cancer before completing it) A Monster Calls is not a fairytale in the traditional sense. It is a complex story for both children and adults, later made into a 2016 film starring Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver.
The story is essentially about a young man, Conor (played with abandon by Anthony Aje), who is trying to come to terms with his mother’s terminal cancer as well as his being bullied at school. A monster (played by Paul Sockett) answers his call, though Conor does not know how or why he could have called him. Together they forge ahead with anger and rage. The monster tells Conor three stories through the course of the play and Conor must tell the Monster one at the end. These stories teach us lessons and become the framework for the production.
Director and co-adaptor Sally Cookson both embraces the storytelling theme and emboldens it. There is a barebones set, minimal props, with actors rarely leaving the stage and musicians often seen. Stage managers are often seen and even the usually hidden stage craft is openly visible. No thin wires for when an actor is flown into the air, but heavy white ropes; and if you watch closely, you realize it is the fellow actors who are being used as their counterweights and controlling their flights. This is an important detail, as it creates an intimate bond in the cast who are now all telling the story as one.
The results, from a theatrical storytelling perspective, are amazing! The tale being told is raw and full of emotion. Many moments are filled with wonder and purpose. The visuals are deceptively simple, yet trigger the audience’s own imagination, so each person in the audience will see their own version of the show.
The ensemble is deeply integrated and involved in multiple aspects of the show, including sound effects, prop delivery, and special visual effects. Yet most of the busy actors manage to make a deep impression as their characters, particularly Brigitte Amorah as the dying Mum; Anita Reynolds as Grandma; Greg Bernstein as the school bully Harry; Sarah Quist as the teacher Ms. Godfrey, and Eleanor Kane as schoolgirl Lily. Be forewarned that the cast is British and their accents are authentic and can be at times hard for the American ear to decipher. Not a problem for 90% of the cast, but for the 10% it can be a bit rough.
For those who like serious and intricate theatre, this play will be rewarding. Children will appreciate the imagination and inventiveness of a story about a student dealing with events outside of their control, and with anger as an inevitable, if destructive emotion. However, make no mistakes, though the recommended age is for 10 and above the adults will enjoy this performance on a level their children will not. Of course, the children will love this performance on a level their parents can only vaguely recall.
On a technical level, the show does suffer slightly from being in the Eisenhower. The space is too large for the intimacy of the show, and those sitting too far to the sides will feel that their views may be obstructed. The sound is at times problematic (a common issue in the Eisenhower) and the lighting is inventive but unnerving at times. The set is effective if beyond simple with white walls, white floor and white ropes hanging from the ceiling. The press pics from the show often show the ropes in their “tree” configuration, but that is one of many looks for the ropes.
In short, this show deserves to be seen by as many people as possible, young and old. The lessons that it teaches are ones that all of us need to learn and remember.
Running Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission
A Monster Calls plays through June 12, 2022 in the Eisenhower Theatre at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC. For tickets call the box office at (202) 467-4600 or purchase them online.
