Theater Review: “Mammoth” at MuCCC

With “Mammoth,” a new play at the Multi-use Cultural
Community Center, writer-director Kate Royal provides further evidence that
western New York has an emerging ecosystem for young, intrepid playwrights. The
2013 SUNY Geneseo graduate has already gained some recognition for her play,
“The Nameless Days of Gumdrop Smith,” which debuted at the 2014 Rochester
Fringe Festival. Currently, she is an Artist-in-Residence at MuCCC, where she
has further honed her skills with dramaturg Claudia Nolan.

In “Mammoth,” unspoken tensions tear three siblings apart, but
their issues can’t continue unaddressed.

Margaret (Emily Putnam), the mother of a young child, works
in a publishing office in England. Her visit home is built upon the pretense of
retrieving the scattered pages of her late father’s unpublished novel, though
she also brings “news” of an engagement. Drew (Luke Martin) is a struggling
artist in his late-20’s. Since Margaret’s departure, he held the burden of
raising and providing for Jeffrey (Marc Cataldi), the baby of the family who is
soon shipping off to Cornell. As the youngest often does, Jeffrey buffers the
bitter arguments between his elder, angry siblings.

While waiting for the arrival of their expatriate sister, the
brothers pack and clean the living room in preparation for a yard sale. Boxes
and bare bookshelves stand behind them. Wine and whiskey overlook from the
nightstand. Over the stage an awkwardness hovers. “It will be weird to have her
back,” Jeffery says. “I’m not sure if I’m ready,” Drew responds, neurotically
shuffling stacks of papers, wiping down shelves, and adding coasters under
drinks. It’s clear that Drew harbors the most anxiety over Margaret’s presence,
to an extent covered as the narrative unfolds. When chatting with his brother
about Margaret’s engagement, Jeffrey feels uneasy, too, saying, “Yeah, we found
out through Facebook.”

Margaret arrives, and the emotional fragility becomes
palpable. “Welcome back,” they tell her.

It’s here that the focus of the play becomes obvious. “Mammoth”
is not the timeless family drama, relating to all generations and cycles of life
— like Tracy Letts’s “August: Osage County” — that mainstream theatre audiences
have become used to. Rather, this is a contemporary play with laser focus: we
see Millennials hovering over their phones, watching TV, or arguing and
becoming defensive about Facebook. They are attempting to make sense of today’s
hyperconnected society and the superficial relationships it breeds.

Though Royal’s characters are supercharged, her writing excels
in the quieter moments. The chatting, joking, passive aggressive dialogue
between brothers and sisters feels familiar and approachable — similar to David
Ives or Paula Vogel, Royal captures heightened sensitivity through understated,
chatty speech.

A pleasant touch, Royal incorporates songs from the rock
band, The National, who are emotionally understated in its own right, to
serenade the scene changes. The results, like her dialogue, are effective:
establishing atmosphere, adding further to the “Millennial texture” of the
play.

While the first half of “Mammoth” is balanced and intricately
crafted, the play loses some of its hard-earned goodwill after intermission
when defensive tantrums and emotional outbursts become a crutch to develop plot.
Admittedly, Royal’s cast shows terrific range through these repetitive
screaming matches, but the story as a whole comes to suffer. Purposeful
dialogue blends into white noise and white noise can breed an impatient
audience.

Still, “Mammoth” leaves behind a huge impression of an
exciting new voice in theater. Royal writes characters that feel fresh and
original, with stories that need to be told.

This article appears in Mar 4-10, 2015.