by June August and Stan Jenson

Introduction

Revolution Stage Company’s (RSC’s) The Woman in the Mirror, while not explicitly geared towards women, deals with an issue that probably affects women more often than men — caregiving for an elderly relative, especially one that suffers from dementia. At the risk of falling into a stereotype, we decided to have two writers review the play, one male and one female to see if they responded similarly or differently. Here are their perspectives.

—Audrey Liebross

June’s Take

If you’ve never cared for a loved one with dementia—personally or through secondhand stories—you might not comprehend the subtle details portrayed in The Woman in the Mirror. You might not believe the descriptions, the transformation, the heartache, the profound loss. Take my word for it. What I saw brilliantly conveyed by playwright/actor Dayne Steele, director Laura Stearns, and the multi-talented actor Rebecca McWilliams was real. So real. Painfully real.

The play is not a how-to handbook for the inevitable. We’re not all destined to be caregivers or care recipients. But as we grow older, we might experience some of the effects of advancing age—what we laughingly brush off as a “senior moment.” For example, who was the actor who played opposite Spencer Tracy in Bad Day at Black Rock or the boy from The Andy Williams Show and American Graffitti who grew up to be an award-winning film director? Ask Siri or Google Assistant. Occasional moments of forgetfulness do not necessarily predict that the endgame will be Alzheimer’s. However, Dayna Steele’s The Woman in the Mirror highlights the importance of having someone in our lives we can trust.

When I invited a friend to be my plus one at the performance, I didn’t know that her mother suffers from Alzheimer’s. I’m glad I had asked the right person. We were both deeply moved by Steele’s insights. Her experiences are ongoing. Mine are older than some of you who are reading this.

My grandmother suffered from two health conditions: dementia and diabetes. When one began to affect the other, I was ten. Since I occasionally spent time alone with my grandmother, I was taught how to recognize certain symptoms, how and when to administer an insulin injection, and how and when to give her orange juice. I was too young to worry about the implications of mistaking one symptom for another. All I wanted was not to hurt my grandmother so she would trust me to take care of her.

In a brief conversation with the playwright after the performance, she mentioned that the play had undergone seventy-one revisions. Does that surprise you? Not me. I am also a playwright. Revisions are all part of the game, and her revisions worked. I am also an actor, so I can appreciate the excellent acting and directing as well. The projections and the use of the space were exceptional. I wish there had been a full house. This play deserves an audience.

Stan’s Take

Revolution Stage Company hasn’t been in Palm Springs anything near a full year, and yet it is already such an important part of our entertainment menu that I can’t recall how we got along without them. Five or six nights per week they host at least one performance, and some days as many as three!

One of their current offerings is The Woman in the Mirror, a delightful and impactful true story about how a woman coped with her mother’s onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.  The woman, playwright and leading actress is Dayna Steele, a well-established Texas DJ, author, speaker and Democratic nominee for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

First I want to say how mesmerized and moved I was by this production. Dayna starts in the audience chatting with guests.  She then works her way to the stage and references her mother, Francis Nicholson – and here the superlative stagecraft begins.  RSC has a video wall upstage and as Dayna mentions her mother, an actual photograph appears.  It all seems so effortless and casual – she’s speaking about her mother so of course she shows us a photo – but this is just one of many excellent projection effects designed by Mariah Pryor.  Each time Dayna sits down at her laptop to write an e-mail, the e-mail appears on the video wall and we watch the words being typed as she speaks the message.

Dayna is joined onstage by Rebecca McWilliams, a local director and actress whose name is familiar to most Coachella Valley theatregoers.  She plays a friend of Dayna’s which allows for Dayna to enter into dialogue and not just address us as a speaker.  For those of us who know her work it’s small surprise that McWilliams seemingly effortlessly segues from “friend” to “Dayna’s Mother” and even “Quiz Show Hostess,” and each transformation is clear. 

Laura Stearns, the show’s outstanding director, script consultant, and set and costume designer also made some utilitarian entrances, moving props around with complete ownership, not pretending that she was invisible.  She even performed a character or two.

In addition to the video wall graphics, the lighting design was the best I have ever seen in a local theatre.  Designer Keith Smith has created lighting for hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of shows at The McCallum Theatre and has been awarded numerous DTL Awards for his work.  I don’t know how RSC managed to coax him to Palm Springs but his work was incredible.  I would guess that he has created over 100 light cues for a 90-minute piece, but nothing that a typical audience member would notice.  Dayna walked six feet to her left so it seems natural that a different pool of light lit her when she got there, but I couldn’t imagine how they had so many light instruments in the theatre or could operate them so flawlessly.

The question that was on my mind as I entered was whether a play written by a woman, directed by a woman, and performed by three women have any relevance to a man?  Let me answer by sharing that after the show was finished, I stood up and met up with three male friends who had also attended.  I was so moved by the play that I’m sure my eyes were still a bit damp, and none of the four of us could utter a complete sentence.  And we all understood the reason we couldn’t talk.  The show had moved us that much!  I urge you to find out for yourself!

Information

The Woman in the Mirror continues through March 31st. One of the delights of Revolution Stage Company is the number and variety of productions they host every week.  It is necessary to go to their website at www.RevolutionStage.com and look at the calendar to find out exactly when the production you are looking for will be presented.  And while you are at the calendar, you will see upcoming productions such as Truman Talks Tennessee on February 13, and Billie: Backstage with Lady Day on April 12-21.  And if you haven’t caught Mid-Century Moderns yet, it plays every weekend and is a must-see! Tickets can be purchased at their website or box office. The theater is located at  611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, in the same shopping center as the Palm Springs Revivals store.