It might sound odd to call a play about the pressure of an addict to stay clean – sweet, but that’s a good word to describe “Before the Meeting,” a play being given its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
The work, which is on the Nikos Stage through August 18, is a realistic and sometimes painful examination of the cost of addiction and the effort it takes to stay clean. Yet, strangely, despite a potentially dour topic, “Before the Meeting” is uplifting.
A lot of the credit for the positive aspects of the work is because playwright Adam Bock centers the work about a middle-aged woman who could be a stand-in for someone we all know. If not a close friend, you know or have met this person sometime in your life.
Gail is a bright, take-charge individual who is smart and able. It’s easy to imagine that had she not fallen prey to drugs and alcohol she would be a happy mother, grandmother and a moderately successful business woman. She gives dignity to being average.
We get to know Gail through her interactions with others in the program, but mostly she is revealed through a stunning 15-minute monologue that is splendidly delivered by Deidre O’Connell. The speech describes her life before and during her years of abusing alcohol and drugs. On a larger level, it is also a biography for all who find themselves lost, scared and without comfort in a threatening world.
O’Connell makes the monologue spellbinding, as she shows the woman’s weaknesses and accepts responsibility for bad choices. However, she refuses to make the woman seem pitiful and her dedication to sobriety makes her a strong role model.
Indeed, if there is anything heartbreaking in this play that refuses to be saccharine or manipulative, it is that Gail is painfully aware that she likely will not regain the things that her abuse of stimulants have cost her.
An appearance by her daughter, makes it clear there is no family reconciliation or contact with her granddaughter in Gail’s future. Her only family will be those who share the regular AA meetings in the basement of St. Stephen’s Church.
Members of that extended family each share Gail’s struggles. Ron, played with a slightly humorous tone by Arnie Burton, is a middle-aged, compulsive gay man who is always bickering with Gail, especially about changing the arrangement of the chairs in the meeting room. He is a man who needs order in his world to combat the uncertainty of daily life.
Nicole is a young, pregnant woman who loves bad jokes and serves as a surrogate daughter for Gail. Played by Midori Francis, Nicole lives with an abusive boyfriend. Her situation illustrates the importance of a support system outside the meeting room.
Kyle Beltran is Tim, a young man who is new to the group. His character is the flip side of Nicole, as his situation shows the value of having the support and understanding of non-judgmental strangers. “Before the Meeting” is a wise play that covers a lot of emotional territory in an hour and twenty minutes, without an intermission. It seems a complete experience, yet it also seems like the first act of a larger play. Though there is no clear conclusion to any story about people in recovery, there are hints that there is a bigger story to be told and larger lessons to learn within this group.
“Before the Meeting” at the Niko Theatre of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Through August 18. For tickets and schedule WTFestival.org or call 413-458-3253
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
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