Review: Living Out/American Theater Company

RECOMMENDED

In “Living Out, ” playwright Lisa Loomer sticks it to narcissistic, overly affluent parents—you know who are; yes, you, on the North Shore—who think the world revolves around their lives and their kids. Add a nanny to the mix and suddenly you have a reluctant witness to all this self-absorption. Call it absurdist reality. Set in present-day Los Angeles, the play follows the parallel tracks of two mothers, one a high-powered entertainment attorney (Cheryl Graeff), the other her nanny (Sandra Marquez), an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. Both women are stretched between the demands of work and family. In fact, their stresses are an identical trickle-down cycle of passing the buck—or more accurately, passing the baby. The play is effectively sharp-witted in its cultural criticisms, and there is a nice snap to this American Theater Company production directed by Cecilie Keenan. She has cast this show exceptionally well; both Graeff and Marquez find an understated way into the script’s comedy and create a believably awkward relationship. Marquez, in particular, resonates—her silent, owl-like gaze says more than any line reading. (Nina Metz)

This production is now closed.