Cost of Living – Written by Martyna Majok; Directed By Alex Lonati; Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Amanda E. Fallon; Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by Speakeasy Stage Company at 527 Tremont St, Boston through March 30th, 2024,
By Helen Ganley
White-washed windows frame silhouetted figures diffused by foggy panes of light-filled glass. Behind these panes are flocks of New Jerseyans – each with their routines, stories, and connections. In Cost of Living, Speakeasy Stage Company delves into the narratives behind these casements and the forces that draw their residents together.
The foundation of Cost of Living is Martyna Majok’s 2015 one-act play John, Who’s Here from Cambridge. Majok expanded the show by adding a second couple into its current iteration. Cost of Living debuted in 2017, where it quickly progressed from the Williamstown Theatre Festival to the Off-Broadway New York City Center to the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway. The play has earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Drama Desk Award, and a Drama League Award Nomination.
Perched on a barstool and swimming in an oversized brown jacket is Eddie, the recently widowed truck driver portrayed by Lewis D. Wheeler. Eddie begins the show with a monologue grounded in earnest and well-meaning conversation, conveying a disarming nature that imbues the audience with sympathy and interest in his tale. Weaving together fragmented yarns about marriage, truck driving, sobriety, and the gentle buzz of a phone, Eddie invokes laughter, stoic silence, and intense reflection from the crowd. Stepping back in time, we meet Ania Lucja Skowronska-Torres (Stephanie Gould), affectionately referred to as Ani. Her curly black hair haloes her head as she snipes at Eddie, her abrasive tone measured by the hints of affection that creep their way into her unending attempts to push away his offers to care for her.
Together, the duo has natural symmetry; She judges silently but is bemused as he dances like a dorky dad. Ani, a person with a spinal cord injury, sits in a porcelain bathtub with Eddie kneeling beside it, trying to care for her without crossing a boundary stemming from their imminent divorce. With the uncomfortable yet intoxicating air of a middle school crush, Eddie gently “plays” piano on her arm while they reminisce about the past.
Across town lives the doctoral candidate John, a man with cerebral palsy, played by Sean Leviashvill. John is rife with snark and sass, his intense line of questioning replete with an air of pretension, questioning educational credentials and spit-firing the question, “How much life have you lived?” In his wheelchair, John is tough and resilient, shielding his psyche from the outside world. Gina Fonseca is Jess, his caretaker. Jess emanates energy and spunk, desperate to prove herself, yet her vindication that her existence does not need to be proven is pervasive. She owns the stage, strutting through the crisp apartment with tales of the bar. Her tough facade breaks, however, as she calls her mother in the snow, her usually stacked posture hunched and defeated.
Together the pair have a combative energy that is tempered by comfortable silences, Jess helping him shower while he leans on her for support. The dynamic is that of friends, allies, crushes, and colleagues, working with an innate tenderness that bypasses any job or paycheck.
Very few shows can encapsulate a full sensory experience: the immersive rotational sound of a car horn behind the audience, the sights of lit windows and a clean apartment, and the smell of a burning cigarette. Janie E. Howland’s set creates ample space on a small stage, transforming the space into two different apartments, bathrooms, and outdoor sidewalks. With prop designer Sarabeth Spector, the combination of set and props breathed life into these spaces, water dripping out of a showerhead, shampoos and conditioners lined up in a caddy, and disheveled cardboard boxes reeking of ephemerality. Lighting designer Amanda E. Fallon and sound designer Anna Drummond add vivacity to the world; carefully selected music seeps in while white and yellow light feeds into the scenes. Chelsea Kerl’s costumes are astounding, each choice deliberate in characterizing the people within them. Chunky combat boots heighten Jess, an aubergine sweater drapes over the preppy John, a ragged baseball cap tops Eddie, and a checkered flannel embraces Ani. Alex Lonati’s direction, with the aid of Jesse Hinson’s intimacy choreography, creates an effortless air through painstaking guidance. Each couple’s intention and closeness ebbs and flows, immersing all in the world they create.
At its center, the show posits the essential question: What is the true “cost of living?” It can be fiscal, such as paying for healthcare and trying to keep above the poverty line, but it can also be emotional, physical, and mental. People innately seek connection, but loneliness can, at some point, be less costly. Speakeasy Stage Company bestows an ethos on a beautiful show that will leave audiences reaching out and connecting with the world. For tickets and information, click here
