Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Catya McMullen’s rollicking GEORGIA MERTCHING IS DEAD is an ode to girl power and the families we choose for ourselves

• By drediman
• October 15, 2019
• No Comments

Layla Khoshnoudi, Diana Oh, and Claire Siebers in Catya McMullen’s “Georgia Mertching is Dead” at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

This past weekend, I caught Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Off-Broadway production of Catya McMullen’s new play Georgia Mertching Is Dead. The play tells the story of three women – all former substance abusers – who had grown up together in New York. The play finds these inextricably bound girlfriends, now in their 30s, in relatively stable periods in their respective lives. When news hits that one of their former drug counselors, the titular Georgia Mertching, has committed suicide, they each begin to question the quality and meaning of their own lives anew.

If you haven’t gathered already, Georgia Mertching Is Dead is an ode to girl power and the families we choose for ourselves. It’s also a rollicking road trip comedy that’s unafraid to get its hands dirty. Indeed, one of its key messages is that it’s more than okay to live life imperfectly. In fact, doing so is what makes the whole experience richer and more emotionally rewarding. Ms. McMullen’s writing is observant and often very funny, even if her episodic plotting seems to suggest film rather than the stage. Nevertheless, in Gretchen, Emma, and Whitney, she’s created three flawed but endearing characters whom I enjoyed getting to know and spending time with.

Ensemble Studio Theatre, which has been key in developing the play, has put together a polished, spiky, but feel-good production (the resourceful direction is by Giovanna Sardelli). I hardly think that the casting can be more perfect – Layla Khoshnoudi, Diana Oh, and Claire Siebers as the three distinct but nonetheless floundering women are simply sensational. They dive into their characterizations with such inspired, open-hearted gusto that a part of me wishes there was a sequel so that I could spend more time with them. I hear Ms. McMullen has already optioned the film rights to Georgia Mertching Is Dead; the producers would be foolish not to seriously consider these three gifted actresses.

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GEORGIA MERTCHING IS DEAD
Off-Broadway, Play
Ensemble Studio Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through October 27