Nina Raine's play "Tribes" assiduously digs into several weighty subjects in an entertaining pair of fast-paced acts. And while there are some issues with the conclusion, the quality of the production now running at Cyrano's is outstanding.
The story revolves around Billy, born deaf to hearing parents. In some ways that's a blessing, since the rest of the family argues, snipes and complains about each other -- and everything else -- with apparently limitless energy and glee. When he meets Sylvia, a girl born to deaf parents who is now losing her hearing, his life changes. He begins to show new interest in learning more about the deaf community, his new "tribe." His old "tribe," his family, becomes alarmed.
The family squabbles are hilarious, though playgoers should be prepared to hear the F-word about 10 times a minute. The father is a self-righteous and opinionated literary critic who insists on the literality of words and makes no secret of his dissatisfaction with his other adult children. The pair, a daughter failing in her attempt to be a singer and a son working on his 12th draft of a thesis arguing that words are devoid of meaning, have moved back into the house. They brawl and bawl constantly, taking offense at the slightest cue.
Billy occupies the background of their lives, but all are uniquely solicitous of him. Each of them, and his enabling mother, needs him in their own way. In the course of the play he goes from being the innocent baby of the family to the catalyst that requires the others to confront issues they've suppressed.
I found the conclusion a little too facile, even unbelievable, as if the playwright had been unable to decide how to wrap things up. But that is the fault of the script, not the performers or director Dick Reichman. In fact, the splendid acting is the main reason to see this show.
The lineup includes the always dependable Marty Baumann as the father and Carl Bright turning in what may be his best effort yet as the browbeaten, thesis-writing son.
In the key role of Billy, Skyler Ray-Benson Davis, who has not been in a Cyrano's play for a decade, does a sensational job of setting his outsider character into the middle of things as a sensitive, intelligent man struggling with enormous uncertainties. Joan Cullinane, in her Cyarno's debut as the mother, puts meat on what might be a negligible part when she fires up her maternal instincts and shifts from accommodating peacemaker to asserting herself.
Another impressive debut is that of Danielle Roelke as Sylvia. She employs a rubbery face to convey emotions that may be at odds with what her character is saying; the other characters don't seem to see it, but the audience does.
Morgan Mitchell turns in her usual fine level of delivery as the opera wannabe daughter. She has plans to pursue studies Outside, so this may be the last chance to see her here for a while. The ensemble work of all six actors is seamless.
To accommodate a story that combines speech, sign language and lip reading, projected captions are used at several points, always with the desired effect. One of the more skillful aspects of the show is how the sound and captions cut in and out to present the text from the perspective of different characters. A particularly memorable moment comes when the whole family erupts verbally in a Pinter-like assault on Billy during which their words are supplanted by a wave of static noise.
TRIBES will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 11 at Cyrano's, 413 D St. Tickets are available at centertix.net.