Sometimes there is a truth you believe in so much so that you can feel it within your bones. But truth ultimately becomes subjective when others come into the picture and claim to know the real story.
For three characters in the Kirk Douglas Theatre’s production of “Bones,” the truth hides somewhere in differing accounts of a broken past.
The 70-minute play takes place in a pea-green airport hotel room, where twins Leah (Tessa Auberjonois) and Steven (Tory Kittles) confront their mother about a dark past in order to move forward with their lives. However, accusations are thrown as each character claims to hold the real memories of the twins’ troubled childhood. Soon, the play becomes a question of whose touch was “pure,” the twins’ mother or father.
What makes this play truly evocative are not the startling revelations that come to light, but rather the intense performance by actress Khandi Alexander, who plays the twins’ mother, Claire. From her swagger to the way she slowly moves on the floor or on the bed, Alexander convincingly portrays the alcoholic mother, whose drink of choice is scotch. The actress also has perfect timing when it comes to switching her performance from a drunkard to a strict, no-nonsense mother and to a young, helpless 22-year-old as the play moves around in time.
Kittles also holds his own on stage. He easily switches from the cold, untouchable man in the present to the 6-year-old boy who wants his mother’s attention. Particularly convincing is Kittles’ portrayal of the twins’ father. Kittles successfully contrasts the two sides of the father: one who is innocent, as Leah believes him to be, and another who is abusive and disgusting, as Steven and Claire believe him to be.
Auberjonois seems to be the weakest of the three actors. When she stays within the role of Leah, Auberjonois convincingly shows the character’s broken pieces as well as her growing addiction to alcohol. Yet when it comes time for Auberjonois to represent Alexander’s version of Claire, the actress falls short. She is unable to portray the complexities of Claire’s personality. Instead, her imitation is superficial, only reflected by Auberjonois deepening her voice. This undercuts the impact of what should be a disturbing realization: that Leah is becoming her mother.
Despite this setback, the play is able to maintain its intensity throughout. Live jazz music helps to emphasize the emotions of the characters as well as provide perfect cues signaling that a past memory is being reenacted on stage. The lighting also marks the transition in time by darkening when the past is being replayed, and it signals a character’s internal monologue by spotlighting each actor.
Ultimately, all the elements in the play are able to work together to show the fallibility of memory. All of the characters hold onto their own versions of the past, each swearing that his or her version is the absolute truth. Yet as characters sometimes side with and against each other regarding an aspect of a memory, it becomes harder and harder to tell who is telling the truth.
For the audience, it becomes a frustrating and emotional 70 minutes of struggling to figure out exactly who the victims are and who should be blamed. No real truth comes out at the end ““ only fragments ““ but even then they are not entirely reliable.
In the end, the play forces the viewer to admit that, despite knowing what you feel to be true ““ even in your bones ““ it doesn’t mean it’s really true.