The family farm has never been an easy place to raise a family or earn a living. Always at the not-so-tender mercies of weather, commodity prices, and rising taxes, the people who work the land and put food on our tables have to be dedicated and resilient. The Olsons, stars of James Still’s Amber Waves at the IRT, battle all these elements in this thoughtful production running through April 28.
Set in present-day Indiana, Amber Waves tells the story of the Olsons. Dad Mike (Torsten Hillhouse) works hard to plant and sow his acreage like his father before him (and his father before him). His wife Penny (Mary Bacon) worries as only a farm wife can, dealing with loan officers an creditors to get another year out of the farm. The kids, Deb (Jordan Pecar) and Scott (William Brosnahan) are preoccupied with typical teenage stuff, squabbling among themselves and visiting the county fair, but they are aware of their parent’s struggles. Aging neighbor farmer Johnny (Charles Dumas) needs help doing chores around the house, and Deb steps in to help, and they become friends. But when Mike sells some of his acreage to pay the bills, he feels that he has conceded defeat. Deb’s friend Julie, a town girl, makes Deb feel inadequate. In the end, the Olsons live to fight another season.
Tim Grimm and Rachel Eddy perform original country-folk music in the background. Grimm composed music for the play, as well as last year’s Finding Home, and other IRT productions. Sad, poignant, and uplifting, the music complements the play’s elements, becoming a character in the show. Pulling everything together, director Lisa Rothe nudges the show away from sentimentality to an honest, and more complex place. Scenic designer Narelle Sissons offers up a abstract barnwood background.
Catch this homegrown show at the IRT Upperstage soon. Tickets are available at irtlive.org or by calling 317-635-5252.
