Every family has its version of the outcast: the crazy aunt, the crazy half-brother's ex-wife's cousin. But would it change things if you learned that your deranged family member also happened to be crazy-rich? Would you seek them out for a donation to your backpacking-Europe-for-personal-enlightenment fund?
Before you drive down that morally questionable road, head to Main Street Playhouse for Crazy Mary, a comedic drama that revolves around a woman isolated in a sanatorium and the sudden visit from family members when they discover they might inherit her fortune. The characters in the play, written by A. R. Gurney, personify the shifting world of East Coast WASPs who seek to simultaneously escape and preserve their privilege.
It's director Matt J. May's first venture at Main Street Players, a
theater space that serves as an outlet of expression for local talent,
some of whom go on to acting careers in New York City, and others who
work day jobs as lawyers and politicians. He says he fell in love with
the intimate setting, a space that stages high-quality theater
productions at non-prohibitive costs in the community's own backyard.
May promises that "people are going to recognize parts of themselves in
one or more characters [and] they might also recognize situations that
they've been in. The message is how interacting with people in our lives
can change us for the better, and how we can change others for the
better." After all, crazy is a misleading word. Although Mary is the one
institutionalized, by the end of the story, you might be frantically
dialing your estranged twice-removed cousin and wondering whether the
real crazies are the ones who still think they're sane.
Crazy Mary runs this Friday to August 15. Performances are on Friday and
Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m., with a special
performance on August 12 at 8 p.m. at the Main Street Players (6766 Main
St., Miami Lakes). Tickets cost $15 to $20. Call 305-558-3737 or visit
--Gabriela Garcia
