Unraveling the Knot
Gidion’s Knot, a highly entertaining two-woman play about an extremely disturbing topic opened this past weekend at the Seattle Public Theatre. Directed superbly by SPT’s artistic director Shana Bestock, written by Johnna Adams, two local actresses starred and sparred for 70 minutes of high drama, in a highly charged conversational tango.
As the title implies, there is a knot to unravel, in this case a particularly prickly one, as Gidion, a 5th grade boy, has had a very rough time after being suspended from school for what appears to be no apparent reason…or so his mother thinks…. until she arrives for a scheduled parent teacher conference.
His teacher, Ms. Heather Clark, played by Rebecca Olson, is initially flabbergasted that she actually came to the conference. Played by Heather Hawkins, Gidion’s mother, is not exactly a “soccer mom”, because at first sight, she seems to be a millennium version of a 40’s “tough broad”, brash, dressed inappropriately for her age and profession, aggressive and not willing to cut anybody a millimeter slack.
On the other hand, Ms. Clark is her polar opposite. She looks like a dowdy version of Grace Kelly, dresses like Queen Elizabeth II, in a cardigan with the requisite brooch, a non-descript skirt, respectable but sensible shoes, and her hair in an unattractive bun with no make-up.
As the two women begin to dance around the topic at hand, they each hide behind their respective façades. Ms. Clark the teacher, is overly formal and polite ( like a repressed WASP in the 50’s) and Corryn, the mother, behaves like a low-lifer under police interrogation.
There is a steady escalation of tension into an explosion when the reason for his suspension is revealed: he has written a highly creative story, which is in dubious taste because it reveals nasty horrible goings on in the school, and does not flatter the teachers.
In Hebrew Gidion or Gideon means destroyer ( and there certainly is destruction in his story) but also in the Old Testament Book of Judges, Gideon was chosen by God to free the people of Israel after they had turned away from God and had been worshipping false Idols.
Without spoiling the plot, Gidion had tried to fulfill his Biblical namesake’s role and lead the pupils away from the Idols towards the true metaphoric gods. For this he was punished. Although an Old Testament figure, the biblical Gideon is a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions.
Although the subject matter was quite heavy, the playwright and the director had the wisdom to make the play amusing. The dialogue as written is hilarious, and it was delivered with excellent comic timing. Often two person plays. which are only one long conversation, can easily be radio-plays; however due to the excellent direction by Ms. Bestock, had one not been able to understand English, the visual expressions of the actors would have conveyed a huge amount about what was going on.
In the end, the conversation ends on a note of reconciliation. For all of us who have been parents and have had the daunting task of getting our children through school, this play is a must see.
Gidion’s Knot. Seattle Public Theater in Association with Bret Adams, Ltd Artists’ Agency. The Bathhouse TheaterThru April 207312 W. Greenlake Dr. N. Greenlake Seattle, WA 98103 Tickets (206) 524-1300 www.seattlepublictheater.org . Thru. April 20
Gidion’s Knot
Gidion’s Knot, a highly entertaining two-woman play about an extremely disturbing topic opened this past weekend at the Seattle Public Theatre. Directed superbly by SPT’s artistic director Shana Bestock, written by Johnna Adams, two local actresses starred and sparred for 70 minutes of high drama, in a highly charged conversational tango.
As the title implies, there is a knot to unravel, in this case a particularly prickly one, as Gidion, a 5th grade boy, has had a very rough time after being suspended from school for what appears to be no apparent reason…or so his mother thinks…. until she arrives for a scheduled parent teacher conference.
His teacher, Ms. Heather Clark, played by Rebecca Olson, is initially flabbergasted that she actually came to the conference. Played by Heather Hawkins, Gidion’s mother, is not exactly a “soccer mom”, because at first sight, she seems to be a millennium version of a 40’s “tough broad”, brash, dressed inappropriately for her age and profession, aggressive and not willing to cut anybody a millimeter slack.
On the other hand, Ms. Clark is her polar opposite. She looks like a dowdy version of Grace Kelly, dresses like Queen Elizabeth II, in a cardigan with the requisite brooch, a non-descript skirt, respectable but sensible shoes, and her hair in an unattractive bun with no make-up.
As the two women begin to dance around the topic at hand, they each hide behind their respective façade’s. Ms. Clark the teacher, is overly formal and polite ( like a repressed WASP in the 50’s) and Corryn, the mother, behaves like a low-lifer under interrogation.
There is a steady escalation of tension into an explosion when the reason for his suspension is revealed: he has written a highly creative story, which is in dubious taste because it reveals nasty horrible goings on in the school, and does not flatter the teachers.
In Hebrew Gidion or Gideon means destroyer ( and there certainly is destruction in his story) but also in the Old Testament Book of Judges, Gideon was chosen by God to free the people of Israel after they had turned away from God and had been worshipping false Idols.
Without spoiling the plot, Gidion had tried to fulfill his Biblical namesake’s role and lead the pupils away from the Idols towards the true metaphoric gods, i.e. poetry. For this he was punished. Although an Old Testament figure, the biblical Gideon is a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions.
Although the subject matter was quite heavy, the playwright and the director had the wisdom to make the play amusing. The dialogue as written is hilarious, and it was delivered with excellent comic timing. Often two person plays. which are only one long conversation, could easily be a radio-play; however due to the excellent direction by Ms. Bestock, had one not been able to understand English, the visual expressions of the actors would have conveyed a huge amount about what was going on.
In the end, the conversation ends on a note of reconciliation. For all of us who have been parents and have had the daunting task of getting our children through school, this play is a must see. Also all great comedy comes from great tragedy.
Gidion’s Knot. Seattle Public Theater in Association with Bret Adams, Ltd Artists’ Agency. The Bathhouse TheaterThru April 207312 W. Greenlake Dr. N. Greenlake Seattle, WA 98103 Tickets (206) 524-1300 www.seattlepublictheater.org . Thru. April 20