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Anthony Zambito in Gulfshore Playhouse’s Circle Forward (Photo by Nick Adams)
By Nancy Stetson
Memories have many faces.
There are fond memories, distant memories, comforting memories and disturbing ones.
In Deb Hiett’s Circle Forward, enjoying its world premiere in Naples at Gulfshore Playhouse, Evan (Anthony Zambito) is dealing with some rather unusual memories: those of a past life.
Though just a teen, he possesses remembrances of being Mia’s husband, with details he couldn’t possibly know. He’s had these memories since a toddler. He even knows places that don’t exist any longer in a town he’s never visited.
His mother, Lexi (Anne Troup) is mystified. Mia (Meeghan Holaway) is suspicious and fears it’s a scam. But she’s curious, so she agrees to meet with Ethan and his mother.
“I am keeping an open mind,” she declares.
Her husband, Robbie, died 17 years ago. Since then, she’s rebuilt her life, becoming a best-selling author and TED speaker about grieving. She’s a kind of grief guru people turn to for guidance and comfort.
But Mia demonstrates that some memories can be selective, and Ethan’s presence disturbs the life she’s made for herself. (She urges audiences who flock to see her to “be selective which memories to keep. Memories don’t have to control you, you control them,” she tells them.)
Zambito is powerful in this role: a reluctant teen shyly whispering into his mother’s ear who transforms into a loud, outspoken jerk of an adult man.
Holaway careens through a spectrum of emotions too, her character’s polished, professional poise shaken by the visit.
Troup’s character’s a meek people-pleaser who harbors secrets – and, as the play unfolds, we learn that they all do. (Her life-is-unfair meltdown is spectacular.)
A fourth character, Calista, played by Bekah Zornosa, enters the play late in the game. Zornosa plays her as a feisty, self-possessed young woman, but to say more about her character would give away too much of the plot.
Playwright Hiett keeps a precarious balance between comedy and pathos throughout. There are laughs, there are poignant moments, there are surprises.
“Circle Forward” is a well-crafted play that not only examines the mysteries of memory but also the strange terrain of grief and the things we do to try to cope with it.
Neel Keller directs this small quartet with equal balance, assuring the play doesn’t become too heavy or too silly. He carefully guides them through all the twists and turns. What are we to make of this inexplicable phenomenon of children with memories of past lives?
Baron E. Pugh’s set is deceptively understated. You begin to notice the circular theme throughout, cleverly subtle: the circular sculpture on the back wall, the small circular rug in the living room, the oval coffee table, the round ottoman, the semi-circular swiveling armchairs. Circles on the pillows! The more you look, the more circular items you see.
The intimate Struthers Studio has been transformed into a thrust stage, with the majority of the space given to Mia’s living room. Two of the theater’s corners represent other rooms: a kitchen and an office. While wrapping the set around the edges makes you feel as if you are enclosed inside Mia’s house, it’s also a little frustrating, because sightlines for some audience members are obstructed when those rooms are used.
Kirche Leigh Zeile’s costumes reflect the characters’ age and class, and lighting director Graham Zellers magically transforms Mia’s living room into a TED stage at various intervals.
“Isn’t memory weird” muses Lexi at one point. (Ethan echoes the same words later.)
Heitt gets just how weird memory –and human interactions—can be. She’s a pro at finding the humor in our crazy world and is equally adept at writing situational comedy and humorous dialogue.
For example, Calista at one point says, “I’m starting to understand that adulthood is just an endless series of days where you wish you could go back to when you were younger and dumber.”
Circle Forward was a finalist in Gulfshore Playhouse’s 2023 New Works Festival and presented as a reading. Now the Naples venue is giving it a full production – and a world premiere. (Hiett’s play Miss Keller Has No Second Book was also a New Works finalist in 2016 and enjoyed a full production at Gulfshore Playhouse two years later.)
There’s a lot going on in this play, which deals with truth/honesty, abusive relationships, grieving, and the nature of time and memories, but it never feels overstuffed with issues.
Circle Forward stays with you long after seeing it, like a catchy melody or haunting memory.
Kudos to Gulfshore Playhouse for its commitment to new plays and presenting a full production of Circle Forward.
Here’s hoping other theaters are smart enough –and lucky enough– to follow suit.
The world premiere of Circle Forward plays in the Struthers Studio at Gulfshore Playhouse (100 Goodlette-Frank Road South, Naples) through March 1. Shows 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p./m. Wednesday and Saturday The play runs 90 minutes without intermission. Tickets are $129. For tickets or more information call (239) 261-7529 or go to www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org.
