Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Chisa Hutchinson’s spare, tender SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY is lifted by Jay Mazyck’s disarming performance

• By drediman
• March 19, 2019
• No Comments

Jay Mazyck and Courtney Thomas in Keen Company’s “Surely Goodness and Mercy” by Chisa Hutchinson at Theatre Row. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

This weekend at the newly-renovated Theatre Row, I caught the New York premiere of Chisa Hutchinson’s Surely Goodness and Mercy, courtesy of Off-Broadway’s Keen Company. Set in Newark, NJ, the play tells the story of Tino, a sensitive twelve-year-old who is sent to live with his abusive aunt when his mother is killed by a stray bullet. As the play unfolds over two brief acts, he finds an unlikely ally in Bernadette, his school’s cranky but caring and fierce loyal lunch lady.

Told mostly through the perspective of the smart but awkward Tino, the play calls to mind a distilled, inner city-set Dickensian novel. At first, I was resistant to Ms. Hutchinson’s skeletal, overtly religious play, which is made up of a series of short, episodic scenes. However, thanks to Jessi D. Hill’s assured direction, I was soon drawn into the play’s gentle, unique rhythms and was ultimately moved by the its tender and unwavering belief in the power of its namesake.

The acting from the play’s central quartet of actors is excellent; each ably bring color and nuance to Ms. Hutchinson’s spare script. But the play holds together because of Jay Mazyck’s disarming, quietly staggering work as Tino. His central performance uncannily lays bare the pain and joy of childhood, elevating the production (including his fellow actors) and the play with him.

RECOMMENDED

SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY
Off-Broadway, Play
Keen Company at Theatre Row
1 hour, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through April 13