Theater is at its most powerful when it touches on universal issues in human experience. Many plays deal with timeless themes such as love, but plays can be most successful when they combine these themes with current events.
Though first performed in 1993, “Keely and Du” written by Jane Martin, centers around the still-timely topic of abortion but ends up making a statement about human relationships.
The play, directed by Keely C. Helmick (name similarity is purely coincidental) and opening in the Pocket Playhouse today, begins with an unconscious woman, Keely, being wheeled into a room and handcuffed to a bed by masked individuals. One woman, Du, remains behind to care for Keely. As the play unfolds, the audience learns that Keely was raped by her husband and a child was conceived. While going to the abortion clinic, Keely was kidnapped by religious zealots, who call themselves “operation retrieval,” with the intention of keeping her in custody until she has the baby.
Keely, as one might expect, doesn’t take this news very well. The scene where she wakes up to find herself imprisoned is heartbreaking. Nicole Barrett plays the part of Keely with hatred toward her captors but with enough humanity to form a necessary relationship with Du, played by Annie Branson.
From the start, Branson portrays Du as a woman who believes in what she is doing but maintains her humanity. Before Keely arrives in the room, Du struggles with having her mask on or off; it is a beautifully subtle gesture on Branson’s part. It is clear that while Du cares about the unborn child, she cares about Keely as an individual.
Du’s counterpart, Walter, blatantly states he would choose the child over Keely. “I can love you,” he says, “but I must protect the child.”
As the ringleader of operation retrieval, Walter makes frequent visits to check on Keely and spout his pro-life rhetoric. Alexander Pawlowski plays the part with a cold, analytical surface that occasionally cracks to reveal an insane conviction. Walter justifies his actions by asserting that Keely is not in a position to make responsible decisions, so he must make them for her. Every time Keely lashes out at him, he considers his view to be confirmed.
At times, the cold logic of Walter almost makes the viewer sympathetic to his cause. But Keely’s responses to Walter are always grounded in the injustice of her situation. What makes this play successful is that Keely’s desired abortion is not just assumed to be the right answer for her problems. By dealing with the human relationships, the play presents the depth of the issue.
There are moments in the play where all the actors play their parts with such skill that a kind of cathartic moment takes place. While sometimes the emotions of the play seem rushed, there are more than enough moments of “truth” in the play. This is exciting theater and shouldn’t be missed.
“Keely and Du” plays today at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 5 p.m. in the Pocket Playhouse in Villard Hall. For more information, call 554-5701.