Los Angeles Times - January 25, 2002 -

Calendar Section

In the Now
Santa Monica Playhouse
1211 4th St.,
Santa Monica

Terrylene doesn't speak, but she has a lot to say about the sobering subject of childhood sexual abuse in her autobiographical solo performance, "In the Now," at the Santa Monica Playhouse.

After depicting other characters' hardships in Deaf West's "A Streetcar Named Desire" and the Fountain Theatre's "Sweet Nothing in My Ear," the deaf actress focuses on her own struggle to overcome the psychological scars left by a sociopathic stepfather.

Not to take anything away from the importance of her message, but the arc of Terrylene's story is an all-too-familiar one: repeated molestation within the false sanctuary of the home, intimidation and fear-induced silence and self-imposed denial on the part of others who might have helped.

What makes Terrylene's saga so uniquely compelling is the manner of its telling-or rather, signing. Her eloquent performance is a testament to the expressive, poetic power of sign language, in which feelings float much closer to the surface than guarded words usually permit. Terrylene's emotional life and the people who shaped it play themselves out with no translation required in her hands and on her face. But just in case you don't know sign language, director Mark W. Travis deals with that by using a voice interpreter (Maureen Davis or Elizabeth Greene) to fill in the factual details.

Another evocative staging element is the original score performed by composer Marilyn Donadt on hand-built percussive instruments (somewhat reminiscent of composer-instrument inventor Harry Partch). Without distracting from the narrative, Donadt subtly punctuates the shifting moods and underscores the jagged edges in the most harrowing sequences.

Acknowledging society's general reluctance to openly confront this troubling subject, Terrylene admits she further acquiesced to the resistance within her insular, fiercely self-supporting deaf community, which could not tolerate hard truths about one of its own. Her long silence took its toll on her self-respect, however. Telling her story is a courageous confession that completes her transition from victim to survivor.

--PHILIP BRANDES

Through Feb. 17
Sundays, 3:30 p.m.
Fridays, 8 p.m.
Saturdays, 3:30 p.m., 8 p.m.
Price: $23.
Information: 310-394-9779, ext. 1