Ingrid Allstrom
Editor in Chief
Review
Edward Albee's All Over takes your normal dysfunctional family to a whole new level, while at the same time addressing the poignant intricacies of a family facing (or not facing) death.
Wife, mistress, best friend, daughter and son hold vigil at the deathbed of a famous yet nameless public figure. Tension rules as old scenarios play out in subtle looks and dramatic explosions - all on the background of mortality.
All Over shows how these individuals have defined themselves through their relationships with the never-seen "father."
Albee is in residence during Stages Repertory Theatre's production of All Over, directed by Sidney Berger, director of the University of Houston School of Theater.
The family members, who are all gathered at the request of the very Jewish family doctor (Phil Fisher) to wait for death, never actually enter the room where this important figure lies dying.
The 60-something wife, played with stoic sarcasm by Lillian Evans, seems at first to be the traditional matriarch: strong and steady, tolerant and calm. And she is, for the most part. Though she has been separated from her dying husband for 20 years, she seems as if she is re-claiming her role from the woman who replaced her decades ago.
Her relationship with her husband's mistress (played by the cat-like Bonnie Gallup) is outwardly accepting, but intensely painful to the audience. The two are about the same age but are as utterly different as two cultured old white women-archetypes can be.
From their hairstyles to their mannerisms to the way they face the audience, both Gallup and Evans perfectly personify their characters. There is tension between them, but it is old, stale and boring. And there is also love. They love the same man and, it seems, each other.
This accepting relationship would not be nearly as convincing had Gallup been much younger or more attractive. She is beautiful, but her appeal is in her manner, her smile and her honesty and warmth. She comes across as a woman capable of abundant love, someone who feels much more deeply than any other character.
The women's relationships with the daughter are a completely different story. Played by the truly obnoxious Sally Edmunson, the daughter has some serious issues. She hates the mistress for obvious reasons but she seems to hate her mother, too. And the feeling is mutual.
She is an attention-seeking, bratty, unattractive, over-the-hill rich girl. Edmunson plays her well, but almost too well. The character is the only one that the audience will not feel empathy for. She's not quite one-sided, but almost.
The son (James Huston) is an insipid little man, who cowers and complains most of the time and who has obviously been carried along by good ol' Dad his whole life. His only worry is that he will lose his job at "the firm" when Dad kicks the bucket.
Of course, Dad's best friend and partner (Charles Krohn) assures him that while he is certainly not needed, he won't be sent to the poor house. The only moment when a glimmer of goodness shines through within the daughter is when she defends the son to their mother.
Krohn plays the best friend with repressed passion. He obviously loves his friend's wife, and (while it has been consummated) that love is and will remain unrequited. Krohn delivers a moving monologue concerning a recent chance meeting with his crazy ex-wife. The monologue illustrates that, while he is not as entwined in this family's craziness, he has his own. And in a way, it shows that a piece of him has died too.
The doctor and the nurse (Sharon Bennett) serve as a backdrop. The family is made up of static, self-centered characters - people who are carefully trying to avoid death, but not by living. The two outside characters, by their unorthodox comments and stories illustrate that the true tragedy of this family is that none of them has really lived.
Though All Over seems a little dated in content (it was first performed in 1971), the meaning hasn't changed. It shows not only the universality of family craziness, but also the sadness of defining oneself through the identity of another.
In the end, it is the mother who points out that while this man that they love (or tolerate as the case may be) lies dying, the only thing they can think about is their own sad lives.
All Over will be performed at Stages Repertory Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through March 29. Tickets are $15 to $28. Student rush tickets are $5 and are sold on basis of availability 10 minutes before curtain. For more information call (713) 52-STAGES.