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A Murder of Crows

by Mac Wellman
review at sfstation.com by Suzi Levi-Sanchez

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>The press release for A Murder of Crows said that Mac Wellman had worked on
>his poetry for the past ten years. Fifteen years ago in New York, Wellman’s
>prose awed me. I worked on several of his productions. Unpretentious and
>humble, he struggled to get produced. He was a role model, a hero. As I sat
>in the 49-seat house of the EXIT theatre, I sank into the dream world of an
>old friend.
>
>A Murder of Crows grimly satirizes a family struck down by the winds of
>pollution. The play is primarily seen through the eyes of a young woman
>named Susie, deliciously played by Jessica Jackson, and it takes us through
>the reasons for the demise of each character’s life. The only hope given to
>us is Susie’s ability to predict the weather.
>
>Three crows played by Frances Ward White, Rebecca Salzer and Janet Weeks
>break into dance several times as well as watch much of the play from the
>background. As not so casual observers, the crows come off as three muses
>waiting for the right time to chime in.
>
>Wellman’s dense language provides a challenge to any director and Kevin E.
>Humbert rises to the task, bringing meaning and focus to this play. The
>inner lives of the characters intertwine with their interactions, and
>together they travel seamlessly on the tiny stage. The set, a rustic porch
>with a laundry clothesline and thick lighting, dreamily accentuates the
>journey, as does the prop-like character of Susie’ s brother. A Gulf War
>veteran, he stands, his body painted gold, posing with a machine gun on a
>milk crate throughout most of the play.
>
>“I feel strange among my kind and I don’t even know who my kind are,” a
>statement posed by Susie as she wallows in the misery in her life,
>resonated with me. As I left the dark little theatre with images of
>watchful crows as well as looming environmental hazards, I wondered if the
>crows were Susie’s kind.
>
>As bleak as the themes were in A Murder of Crows, I found myself laughing,
>and was completely engaged by this play. I recommend it to anyone looking
>for intellect, poetry and laughs.

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