The Nora Theatre Company Presents A Thought-Provoking "Precious Little" by Madeleine George - Through March 26th

Lee Mikeska Gardner
Karoline Xu
Nancy E. Carroll
"Precious Little" by Madeleine George
Nora Theatre Company
Catalyst Collaborative @MIT
Central Square Theater
Through March 26th

It should come as no surprise that a play produced by Nora Theatre Company, as part of its collaboration with the Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT, should require a great deal of intellectual effort on the part of the audience. Such is the case with the current production of "Precious Little," by Madeleine George

Before I share details about the play, allow me a slight diversion to discuss my reaction to this drama. I was initially unsure how the three separate threads in the narrative of the play related to one another. And I was wondering why the cast of three women were required to play so many different parts. On my walk home from the theater, a light bulb went on in my head, and it all began to make sense. But I had to work hard to arrive at this deep level of understanding. And I was immediately reminded of a point made so eloquently in a book I am currently reading: "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. The author describes the cognitive and neurological dynamics by which we learn to master complex tasks, processes, or ideas. It involves a concerted and repeated effort at what he calls "deep practice." I labored very heard over the questions: "What is the common denominator in these three narratives in the play? Why are these actors cast to play so many different parts?" And as I struggled, the connections began to emerge out of the fog, and the playwrights' intent became clear - at least to me as a subjective observer of the play.

Here are the outlines of the three narrative threads:

• Brodie (Lee Mikeska Gardner) is a linguist who is a lesbian in her 40s who has chosen to bear a child using sperm from an anonymous donor. She awaits the results of amniocentesis to see if her child may be at risk of birth defects. Things become complex when the results of the test are ambiguous and troublesome. A neophyte counselor (Karoline Xu) tries to lead Brodie through a decision-making process, but they clearly do not speak the same language, and fail to communicate at any meaningful level.
• In her role as a linguists, Brodie is interviewing an "informant" (Nancy E. Carroll) who is one of the last living persons who has spoken a dying language from pre-Soviet Siberia. The informant's controlling daughter (Karoline Xu) makes it difficult to bring the project to its completion. At one point, we see a depiction of the sonogram of the fetus as Nancy Carroll crouches in the fetal position behind a scrim. 
• A female gorilla (also Ms. Carroll) who is purported to possess rudimentary language skills is observed in her zoo habitat by a parade of gawkers (also Karoline Xu) who do not even understand that she is not "a monkey." Brodie reluctantly comes to see the ape, and is drawn into exploring the question of language.

The light dawned for me when I began to see connections among the three threads and the roles played by the three actresses.

• Ms. Carroll plays three characters that are each encased in some kind of enclosure. She is the informant enclosed in a soundproof booth trying to recall the language of her childhood. She is also a gorilla imprisoned in her zoo enclosure occasionally using the language skills she has acquired to try to communicate. And she is also a fetus enclosed in the womb trying to communicate through her prenatal cells and amniotic fluid her genetic code and DNA language.
• Ms. Gardner as Brodie is trying to decode three different kinds of linguistic clues: the DNA language in the reports from the amniocentesis, the memes and phonemes from the dying Siberian language, and the rudimentary attempts by the gorilla to communicate. In each case, the attempts to establish communication are both aided by and frustrated by a piece of machinery - an ultrasound machine, an electronic set-up to allow her to speak to and hear from the informant in the soundproof booth, and machinery that lights up symbols to communicate simple words to the gorilla. In each case, the same piece of equipment stands in for the three discrete instruments. Perhaps the message is that technology in its many forms may be necessary, but is not sufficient to establish meaningful communication.
• Ms. Xu plays characters who impede the path to clear understanding. She is the recalcitrant daughter of the informant who stands in the way of her mother completing the project. She is the unsympathetic graduate student and lover of Brodie who refuses to support Brodie during her time of doubt and need. She is the ineffectual rookie counselor who makes it difficult for Brodie to make an informed decision because her communication is so convoluted and imprecise. She is the parade of gawkers at the zoo who look at the sentient ape without understanding.

These three women are outstanding in their multiple roles. Perhaps most impressive is Ms. Carroll's impassive physiognomy and posture as the gorilla.

Lee Mikeska Gardner

Karoline Xu

"Precious Little" by Madeleine George

Nora Theatre Company

Catalyst Collaborative @MIT

Central Square Theater

Through March 26th

All of this complexity is handled with clear direction by Melia Bensussen. The simple set by Judy Galen allows for versatility in moving among the various locales - lab, office, zoo. Costume Design is by Elizabeth Rocha, Lighting Design by Wen-Ling Liao, and Sound by Nathan Leigh.

Then there is the issue of the clever title of the play:"Precious Little."

Brodie comes to see the life growing inside of her as her precious little daughter, who may be flawed if she is allowed to grow to full term. There is precious little that science or counseling can do to guide her in making a harrowing decision that will impact her life and that of her unborn child. And there is precious little that an audience member can make of all of this complexity and questioning unless one is willing to do the work of decoding the language of the drama, and apply that to one's own world view and set of life experiences.

The play ends in a moving tableau that seems to be sending the message that at the end of the day, our ability to communicate with one another and to find a common language must transcend technology and intellectual models, but must include meaningful touch.

My brain is still process the images and ideas that "Precious Little" presents. And one could not ask much more than that from a play.  You have until March 26th to get to Central Square Theater to ruminate on these questions, thoughts, and ideas.

Central Square Theater Website

Enjoy!

Al