Ashes & Ink
Written by Martha Pichey and Direction by Alice Jankell
AMT Theater at 354 West 45th Street, NYC
October 16th - November 3rd, 2024
Photo Credit by Thomas Mundell, Mundell Modern Pixels
I love sitting with a well dressed set replete with a soundscape setting the tone before a play begins. I am not put off by a bit of spike tape, or a handle that tells me something will move. It elevates the anticipation of what’s to come - clues to the creative versatility employed in a small space. I squint to see if I can read the spines of books on the shelf. Birdsong is in the air. The birds that flitted by the open window of a cozy apartment soon became more overwhelming as the lights dropped, and we entered the world of Ashes & Ink.
This is a story of love, of loss, of redemption, of consequences.
Two families, both alike in sorrow, share the stage. Leo, a widower with a young son, Felix live upstate while Molly, a widow and her teenaged son Quinn live in the City. Two people who had suffered the loss of a spouse trying to find love again with children to consider may have a hard enough time of it, but then add in that one of those children suffers from addiction. The pain and fear, the constant anxiety of a mother who cannot save her child but is still trying to live and work and find love again created with such devastating complexity by Kathryn Erbe that you are caught up in every expression. Javier Molina’s Leo is loving and protective and can be pushed to anger. Ultimately, his reason sees through to the matter at hand, “Something in me snapped. I forgot he’s still a kid too. Half man, half boy.”
There is a depth and beauty to Ashes & Ink which I find difficult to translate into words. The play is an unrelenting 90 minutes – once you’re in the world, you cannot leave it anymore than the characters can. Quinn, portrayed by Julian Shatkin, takes each of us on a rollercoaster ride of his highs and lows. Will this child actor turned lost boy turn things around? Will he achieve his dream of acting school? Will he be alive at the play’s end? And Felix, lived by Rhylee Watson, who admires Quinn and longs for a rebuilt family with a new mom – will his dreams come true or will they be shattered by loss yet again?
Much to my astonishment, this is Martha Pichey’s first play which has received various readings and productions since 2015. Most of our first plays are put to better use lining bird cages. Alice Jankell’s hand is imperceptible but it’s clear she keeps the action moving, the tension high, and the birds flying. This is a dance between director and playwright where you can never tell who is leading.
Not since Oscar Isaac’s Sidney Brustein at BAM last year have I seen acting of this magnitude. Good yes, but not this. You feel like the neighbor who can see and hear everything through an open window. These are multidimensional humans living complex lives capable of anything. While the playwright adeptly tells us “Don’t confuse honesty with truth,” it is easy to forget this is a play and you’re not eavesdropping. Though I should not be surprised given that Mr. Molina is a Co-Artistic Director of the Actors Studio while Ms. Pichey and Ms. Jankell are members of The Actors Studio’s Playwrights and Directors Workshop. This is just the level of craftsmanship synonymous with The Studio.
Scenic Design: Tim McMath; Costume Design: Kaitlin Feinberg; Lighting Design: Paul Hudson; Sound Design: Alex Attalla
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Nicole Jesson.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on October 18th, 2024. All rights reserved.