Shakespeare and Company, Lenox MA
through October 7, 2018
by Jarice Hanson
Taylor Mac is one of the most interesting playwrights
working in theatre today. A finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in Drama, Mac has
accumulated many awards in literature. In “Hir” Mac pushes the boundaries of
absurdist theatre.
The title of the play refers to the pronoun that is not
gender specific. Mac defies conventional social relationships and propels the
concept of the dysfunctional family into a new dimension to explore traditions
of gender fluidity, social expectations, psychological warfare and family
cruelty, love, and violence. Yes, there’s a lot that goes on in the two-hour
piece, but it is so well crafted that some lines immediately register with truth
and impact. At one point, the mother tells her marine son who just returned
from Afghanistan, “I’d tell you to kill yourself here, but I don’t want to
clean up the mess.”
 |
| Photo by Emma Rosenberg-Ware |
A big mess is exactly what the audience sees when they enter
the theatre. Clothing is strewn everywhere and this small “starter home that
never really got started” is indicative of a family that never moved forward,
but certainly devolved backward.
Metaphors of past and future are embedded in the dialog, but the real
message is that this is a show about the messy present we inhabit.
An excellent cast delivers performances that are nuanced,
energetic, and loaded with cultural meaning. Elizabeth Aspenlieder as Paige, the mother, wants to be the
guiding light of her family and thrills with the realization of a “paradigm
shift.” Arnold, the father, subtly
and sublimely played by John Hadden, has had a stroke, and Paige emasculates
him by forcing him to wear women’s clothing and make-up—her revenge for a
lifetime of abuse. Max, portrayed by Jack Doyle, is transitioning from Maxine
to become a “trans masculine” hir. As Isaac, the elder son, Adam Huff is
dynamic as a drug-abusing marine charged with picking up the body parts of the
deceased. Now, he’s home, trying
to put the pieces of his family together again.
“Hir” deals with toxic masculinity and the changing culture
in which we live. It is messy, and sometimes painful to watch, but what makes
it so jarring is that it most certainly contrasts love and abuse. “Hir”
contains strong language and themes may offend some people, but it is an
important play in that it is in the crosshairs of contemporary culture and
confusion.
