Review of Circle Mirror Transformation at Redtwist Theatre

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Circle Mirror Transformation. It was by Annie Baker and it was directed by Scott Weinstein. It was about an acting class at the community center in a small town and about the relationships between people in the class. The teacher Marty (Lynda Shadrake), is married to one of the students James (Adam Bitterman). There's also a teenager, Lauren (Talia Payomo), a former actress from New York, Theresa (Emily Tate), and a recently divorced carpenter, Schultz (Michael Sherwin). It is about regret, doing what is best for yourself, and community. I think this was a super moving but also humorous show. It had amazing actors and you really felt like you were part of the class and in that room.

There were a lot of really relatable moments for anyone who has ever taken an acting class. One of the most cringeworthy moments was when Schultz was asking everyone to reenact his childhood bedroom. That involved having people become a bed, a tree, a baseball glove, and a stuffed snake. They are trying to make it feel like his bedroom, but he decides it doesn't, so instead of just saying "great job, guys" he decides to just say, "No. This doesn't look like my bedroom." Well of course it won't actually look like his bedroom because it is a bunch of people bending into shapes to try to look like things in his bedroom. If it resembles his bedroom slightly, it means they did a pretty good job. You have to accept that the exercise is about trying to capture the spirit of something, not exactly recreating it. It was also really relatable how the out-of-class relationships impacted the class. You could see people slowly realizing that people were together as a couple or liked each other or were mad at each other. It is so perfect because it shows you all of the drama of drama class.

Schultz and Theresa's relationship was insanely complicated because they were infatuated with each other for a while, but then Theresa saw they weren't right for each other, but he clung on like a barnacle. They still want to take this class, but they are angry at each other. They are trying to get in touch with who they really are in class, but then their relationships in class alter who they really are. Marty wants to use the acting class to help people find who they really are, but she is devastated when she finds out secrets about her own husband. Lauren wants to actually learn how to act, which I don't blame her for, it actually being an acting class and all. It is sad when she finds out it isn't actually what she thought it was. But even though it isn't really the class she was looking for, she still learned a lot about living actual life from it and started an important relationship.

The last scene was heartbreaking. You realize that things that happened in class ended things for some of the characters. (I'm being vague because this is the last scene and I don't want to give away to much.) It was bittersweet because there were also things that people have talked about in class, like about their dreams, that you find out come true. That made me really happy to see characters you have grown to love be so happy. You realize that the conversation that you think is just an exercise in the drama class is actually in real life years from now. The final scene shows you that all the stuff in the class that seemed pointless and cringeworthy is really helpful for people in the future to help them become successful people if not successful actors.

People who would like this show are people who like the drama of drama class, complicated relationships, and human baseball gloves. I think people should go see this show. It is funny, touching, and I really liked it. It closes soon, so don't miss it!


Photos: Jan Ellen Graves