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THEATER
|
REVIEW
A
family
is
a
family
,
no
matter
what
Not
much
happens
in
Annie
Baker
’
s
Baker’s
slice
-
of
-
life
slice-of-life
plays
.
In
her
off
-
Broadway
off-Broadway
hit
,
“
Circle
Mirror
Transformation
,
”
that
played
the
Gamm
last
season
,
we
get
to
eavesdrop
on
an
adult
acting
class
in
rural
Vermont
,
watching
a
group
of
strangers
open
up
and
share
their
fears
and
insecurities
.
Now
in
“
Body
Awareness
,
”
the
latest
offering
from
the
Wilbury
Group
,
Baker
returns
to
Vermont
during
Body
Awareness
Week
at
Shirley
State
College
,
where
we
meet
Phyllis
,
an
uptight
psychologist
who
has
helped
organize
the
event
,
her
lover
Joyce
,
and
Joyce
’
s
Joyce’s
troubled
son
Jared
,
who
spends
his
days
reading
the
Oxford
English
Dictionary
.
True
,
there
is
a
bit
of
dramatic
tension
when
a
male
photographer
specializing
in
female
nudes
shows
up
,
and
Joyce
volunteers
to
have
her
photo
taken
,
causing
a
jealous
Phyllis
to
freak
out
.
And
there
are
issues
with
Jared
’
s
Jared’s
behavior
toward
the
end
of
the
play
.
Otherwise
,
“
Body
Awareness
”
is
Baker
’
s
Baker’s
endearing
look
at
where
the
American
family
finds
itself
,
far
from
the
days
of
“
Father
Knows
Best
.
”
You
could
fault
Baker
,
perhaps
,
for
painting
a
somewhat
clich
é
d
clichéd
portrait
of
the
contemporary
household
,
with
same
-
sex
same-sex
partners
and
a
kid
with
not
-
quite
not-quite
ADHD
,
but
Asperger
’
s
Asperger’s
syndrome
.
All
that
was
missing
were
the
couples
’
therapy
sessions
.
But
her
point
that
no
matter
what
the
configuration
of
the
family
there
are
still
ties
that
bind
is
a
powerful
one
.
The
play
takes
place
over
the
five
days
of
the
Body
Awareness
conference
.
At
the
start
of
each
session
,
Karen
Carpenter
’
s
Carpenter’s
Phyllis
greets
the
attendees
with
pep
talks
that
become
ever
more
strident
.
She
becomes
almost
apoplectic
when
talking
about
the
photographer
’
s
photographer’s
nudes
that
are
on
display
as
part
of
the
conference
,
ranting
on
about
image
ownership
and
the
male
gaze
.
After
each
talk
,
we
head
home
to
watch
this
quirky
,
somewhat
dysfunctional
family
live
out
their
lives
,
watch
them
deal
with
all
the
frustrations
,
hurts
and
accusations
and
still
care
.
Wendy
Overly
,
who
was
part
of
the
cast
of
the
Gamm
’
s
Gamm’s
“
Circle
Mirror
,
”
is
now
in
the
director
’
s
director’s
chair
,
managing
to
mold
this
somewhat
episodic
play
into
something
marvelous
,
a
real
testament
to
the
human
heart
.
But
her
job
was
made
easier
by
a
solid
cast
.
Carpenter
is
terrific
as
Phyllis
,
who
can
only
maintain
her
doctrinaire
view
of
the
world
for
so
long
before
it
crumbles
.
And
Clare
Blackmer
is
fine
as
Joyce
,
who
seems
much
more
comfortable
in
her
skin
,
save
for
a
few
insecure
moments
when
she
is
about
to
pose
naked
.
As
Jared
,
Samuel
Appleman
manages
to
come
up
with
a
character
who
’
s
who’s
a
misfit
,
but
not
a
caricature
.
And
Kerry
Callery
stood
out
as
laid
-
back
laid-back
Frank
Bonitatibus
,
the
photographer
whose
presence
throws
Joyce
and
Phyllis
’
relationship
into
a
tailspin
.
Even
though
not
a
lot
happens
in
this
play
,
still
,
“
Body
Awareness
”
is
immensely
entertaining
,
with
crisp
writing
and
a
wonderfully
offbeat
sense
of
humor
.
By
the
way
,
the
Wilbury
Group
has
moved
its
operations
from
a
warehouse
on
Eagle
Street
to
the
Southside
Cultural
Center
,
the
theater
space
next
to
Trinity
United
Methodist
Church
on
Providence
’
s
Providence’s
Broad
Street
where
Trinity
Rep
got
its
start
a
half
century
ago
.
“
Body
Awareness
”
runs
through
April
6
.
Tickets
are
$
15
-
15-
$
20
.
Call
(
401
)
400
-
7100
400-7100
,
or
visit
thewilburygroup
.
org
.
cgray
@
providencejournal
.
com
(
401
)
277
-
7492
277-7492
By
CHANNING
GRAY
JOURNAL
ARTS
WRITER