Simpatico Theatre charges into spring and summer with the Philadelphia premiere of “HIR,” through June 25 at The Drake.
The dark comedy/drama written by out playwright Taylor Mac is about a woman, Paige, who is forging a new path for herself and her children. She breaks free from her abusive husband as one of her sons is dealing with being discharged from active duty and the other is in the process of transitioning gender.
Director Jarrod Markman said the theater company had chosen to do the play last year but recent events have made the show and its message especially timely.
“We chose this play before the election happened,” he said. “Post-election, this came to a clear picture of why we’re doing this. For me, this is an election that made me understand the bubbles that we live in, especially in this bubble of progress that me and many people I know live in. The play asks questions about what we do with the people that are not in the same bubbles as us, and how we reach over and engage with them in order to not end up with results that no one is happy with.”
That’s especially relevant for LGBT audiences, Markman said.
“In queer communities, we always strive to go to the city and get out. But if you are always striving to leave and not engaging with the places that you come from, the divides sort of build. So for me, the play deals with the question of progressive responsibility. Similarly, it’s a love letter to nontraditional families and nontraditional communities, which I think at this time is super-important. It’s always been important for the queer community but I think it is important for everyone now.”
Markman added that he was drawn to the play because of its unique narrative: After the election, it has become somewhat of an allegory for where the country stands socially and politically.
“It was the real structure of a kitchen-sink comedy but sort of subverted. I also liked that it featured a trans/non-binary character but the play wasn’t about that; they were one of the other family members that are transitioning in some sort of way. So those two things combined really interested me. And obviously the family dynamic was very split. They’re all on a completely different page and no one is listening to each other. So that really became a metaphor for the country. Everybody wants the best for what they believe but when you can’t talk the same language it’s hard to understand or gain compassion. We would have hopped on this play even faster if we knew how the election was going to turn out.”
While the subject matter is serious, Markman said that Mac did a great job of weaving some wickedly comedic moments throughout the characters’ often-trying lives.
“Regardless of how deep the discussion gets behind the words, what’s actually happening is always seen through a very absurd lens, which I think is really interesting,” Markman said. “He frames the play as a traditional comedy but subverts that with the audience’s expectation of what that is. Like the thing that happens to Arnold, the dad in the play. He’s suffered a massive stroke and the way that the characters treat him, you just can’t get away from the absurd comedy in it, even though it is laced with topical issues. Often we are found laughing at things that in another play or discussion might not be laughable. But to view it through that lens lends some levity to that situation and I think allows audiences to reflect in a different way or engage in a different way or get mad in a different way.”
Markman added that the main character, Paige, is Mac’s way of turning ideas about a family’s matriarch and patriarch on their head.
“Paige is seen as the foil to what we imagine a dominant male figure is,” he explained. “I think Taylor took what that figure normally looks like and turns Paige into a character that could destroy that and take over that character and humiliate that character.”
Markman said that while “HIR” is definitely entertaining, he hopes the play will inspire audiences to seek common ground with the people in their lives with whom they don’t always see eye to eye.
“While it is laced with a lot of absurdity and dark comedy, I think at the heart of it there is a lot of hope. I think we see that through the character of Max, who is the youngest child in the play,” he said. “Max is the one that is always trying to ensure that the family stays together. And really I think that is what all the characters are trying to do in their own kind of way, to make sure that the family stays together. Their tactics to do that often collide with each other and are not successful but at the heart of it, there’s a lot of love. What I hope audiences can glean is, even in terrible, terrible circumstances where you’re dealing with issues of abuse and rape and extortion of the family, can you still find compassion? I think that Taylor is asking that question and I don’t know if there’s a real answer, but I think on a human level we sort of explore where that line is — how we can find compassion even in these very dark circumstances. I hope audiences can juggle those questions.”
Simpatico Theatre presents “HIR,” with special programs highlighting Philly Pride, through June 25 at Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake, 302 S. Hicks St. For more information or tickets, call 267-437-7529 or visit www.simpaticotheatre.org.