In Bloom
by Gwyneth Strope
Directed by Brittanie Gunn
Tesseract Theatre Company
July 21, 2023
Cast of In Bloom
Photo: Tesseract Theatre Company
The Tesseract Theatre Company’s second entry in its Summer New Play Festival finished up performances this past weekend. In Bloom, by Gwyneth Strope, is a thoroughly engaging, character-driven comedy-drama that has a lot of promise as a new play. At Tesseract, a likable, enthusiastic cast brought this intriguing one-act play to life with simple but effect production values. Although it’s not without its issues that need to be worked out, it’s a highly promising story and a vivid portrait of a family, their relationships, and their struggles.
The story follows divorced mother Dorothy (Christina Rios) and her four daughters who each have their own personal goals, interests, and struggles. There’s eldest Rosalind (Amy Riddle, standing in for principal Rhiannon Creighton), who wants to go to flight school and become a pilot; the creative but insecure Lorelei (Catherine Analla), who is concealing a secret; the usually quiet, empathetic Camille (Vaida Gruenloh), who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis; and the strong-willed youngest daughter, aspiring athlete Eileen (Rosario Rios-Kelley), who is suspicious of all the changes that are about to take place in her family as Camille takes it upon herself to be a matchmaker for her mother and Kevin, Eileen’s best friend’s father, who is much talked about but unseen onstage. The action begins as the family prepares to attend Dorothy’s mother’s wedding, and continues as the family deals with various issues of relationship, future aspirations, personality conflicts, and more, with a good deal of literary references and the motif of a developing garden, both literal and figurative.
It’s a promising show, with vividly portrayed characters and believable relationships, with a bit of a resemblance to Little Women, although this is not an adaptation of that story. The casting is excellent, with all the players working together to portray a believable family dynamic, led by the excellent Rios as the loving but frequently exasperated Dorothy, and each of the daughters well-cast. Especially notable is Riddle, who had script in hand while filling in as Rosalind, but managed to give a strong, convincing performance and fit well as a member of the onstage family. The performers also managed to make the offstage characters–Kevin and his son Matt, as well as the grandmother and her new husband–seem real despite their not physically appearing.
The pacing is excellent, as well, and the set by Brittanie Gunn and Taylor Gruenloh is simple and effective. Erin Riley’s lighting also contributes to the atmosphere well. Although there may be a bit too much going on at times, this is a relatable, intriguing story that should appeal to audiences of various ages. It’s another strong entry in Tesseract’s increasingly memorable Summer New Play Festival.
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