I Became We

By Mona Pirnot

Music by Jack D. Coen

Lyrics by Mona Pirnot and Jack D Coen

Directed by Sarah Benson

Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company

In a promotional video, the Playwright Mona Pirnot gives an apt description of her new work “I Became We” at the Atlantic Theater. “I like doing plays that can’t even quite be called plays. Where people say ‘is it a piece, a piece, do you call it a play, and I like to call these crazy things a play and that’s what a play should look like.”

“I Became We” is a 70-minute choral performance with piano accompaniment. The chorus stands on choral platforms throughout while the composer and music director conducts the singers.  Unfortunately, I have to side with those who say, “this is NOT a play.”  Not only is it not a play, but aside from some lovely musical moments, it’s not even an interesting choral work.  Ms. Pirnot presents a story of a soon-to-be middle-aged playwright’s confrontation with the facts of her life.  They are mundane facts – the physical changes that a woman goes through as she ages, a pondering about her decision not to have a child, the desire for a better home.  These are all interesting topics, but the choral lyrics do not do much more than simply state the conditions.  The carefully controlled projection of the libretto above the stage occasionally gets a laugh or a sign of recognition among the audience by delaying the completion of a sentence while the audience members fill in the blank space.

I very much enjoyed Ms. Pirnot’s previous one-actor play, “I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan,” performed by the wonderful theatre artist, David Greenspan.  That WAS a play and it won several well-deserved Obie awards.  Mr. Greenspan played himself as well as four women who were a part of his life.  But “I Became We” has none of the depth of thought nor the humorous interaction that made “David Greenspan” so enjoyable.

The musical score by Jack D. Coen was pleasant enough.  There was some variety in the harmonious styles and the complexity of the arrangements.  For the most part, the singers were capable, although there were several flat moments, especially when an unexplained child enters the stage toward the end of the piece. She can barely be heard or understood. The Atlantic Theater is one of my favorite Off-Broadway companies.  Their seasons are filled with original works that frequently challenge the audience. When you subscribe to an experimental theatre company like the Atlantic, you know that every so often you will suffer disappointment.  Sitting through “I Became We” was such an experience.