Metropolitan Ensemble "Rules for Widows" review by T.Winchester

What's a Widow to Do?

Rating: 4

Rules for Widows

Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre

Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre's production of "Rules for Widows" is a fun, fiery, poignant play that is definitely worth seeing. The play centers on Iris Delroy, a newly-widowed, middle aged woman (played with finesse by veteran actress Jan Rogge), who must deal with the recent death of her husband. Throw into the mix Iris's busybody elder sister (played by Marilyn Lynch), Iris's 30-year-old son who still lives at home, works for minimum wage in a hardware store, and plays video games in his spare time (played by Coleman Crenshaw), and a lesbian daughter (played by Jessica Franz) who comes at home intermittently with a new lover each time, and you have fuel for family conflict and a search for understanding.

This is a brand new play written by Michael Ruth, and MET is to be applauded for not only taking a risk on it but pulling it off with style. As the play progresses, the Delroy family must deal with secrets uncovered about their father that affect the whole family. In fact, several revelations come to light in this time of mourning, not only concerning their father's secret life but about the other characters as well. Don't expect all the questions to be answered, but the play does end on a satisfactory note with a search down the long road for the truth and the path towards healing.

The set and props are truly fabulous, although some of the elements don't all mesh with the time frame in which the play is set, especially the technological gadgets (the cordless phone and television from the late eighties, paired with a video game console that is from the new millennium) that might seem to be a little anachronistic to the very discerning eye. Likewise, MET has put together a set that looks very realistic and "homey," as if an actual family might live in it, although some of the design elements seem to clash and the railing on the stairs seems to be not quite finished. Aside from these minor details, however, the play itself—and especially the acting by the play's five performers—comes across as powerful and believable. It gives the audience something that they can truly relate to, and something that they can think about, long after the show is over.