Uncomfortable Family Ties

At points in “Keeping Tom Nice,” the four members of the family pose center stage as if for a portrait: the prim mother, the upstanding father, the lovely daughter . . . and Tom, strapped in his wheelchair, greasy hair matted to his forehead, jaw slack, eyes unfocused.

“We keep Tom nice,” says the mother, Winnie. “We always keep Tom nice.”

The words are not hollow, but translucent. Through them we see that these people are not insincere, but frail. They are not cruel, but fatigued from 25 years of caring for their severely disabled son.

Lucy Gannon’s first play, now 10 years old and set in 1973, feels as vital and contemporary as it is disturbing and heartbreaking. The story behind its writing is almost unbelievable. Gannon, who worked for many years in nursing, wrote “Keeping Tom Nice” for a contest because she was interested in the prize money. The play won the $3,000 Richard Burton Drama Award and was first produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988.

This revival makes efficient use of the space at the small Raven Playhouse in North Hollywood. Kenny Klimak’s set and J.C. Gaffard’s lighting add meaningful visual layers. The jailhouse bars along one side might have been too much, except that they look like a picket fence--clean, white, straight. It is not the bars that constrain the characters here, it is the duty of maintaining such tidy appearances. Likewise, the lights occasionally turn red, suggesting what the playwright calls “The Discords”--the patterns of speech, thought and behavior that hang over every day in this house.

Director Dona Maria Guevara reveals true vision in her staging, and draws strong performances from all the actors. Emmett James is remarkably convincing as Tom. His manner and wails remain so consistent that when he speaks as part of the discords it is startling. His co-star and co-executive producer, Samantha Lloyd, is also intriguing as the sister, Charlie. She seems to be the voice of conscience until her love for her brother takes an uncomfortable turn.

That the play is clearly a showcase (several program bios contain phone numbers) doesn’t take away from its power. The weight of the story, though, falls on the shoulders of Horace B. Martin, who plays the father, Doug. Recently retired, he is closest to the breaking point. “If he was a dog, he’d feed himself,” Doug tells Charlie. “If he was a dog, he’d go for walks. If he was a dog he’d fetch my bloody paper.” It is horrible to hear, but also undeniably true.

There are those, including social worker Stephen (Stephen Marshall) who want to see something special in Tom--a spirituality, a stifled intellect. But there is nothing but a brain-damaged body, a drain on his family. Still, is he less deserving of care? Of love? Or is his family martyring themselves for nothing?

The performance reviewed, unfortunately, was disrupted by a handful of people in the audience who equated scene changes with commercial breaks. Their whispers and giggles (at what exactly?) disrupted the otherwise poetic flow of the play.

Outside at intermission, one of these people told her companions that she “liked him when he was quiet.”

Exactly the point.

She had been around Tom for one hour. The characters had lived this life for 25 years.

BE THERE

“Keeping Tom Nice,” at the Raven Playhouse, 5233 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. $14. (888) 566-8499.