The   Mother-and-Child   Reunion   in   Eric
Coble's The Velocity of Autumn Is Moving

RedBird Theater Company presents The Velocity of Autumn, Eric Coble's humorous and deep-cutting reminder to check up on the people in our lives. The Velocity of Autumn is a one-act black-box production, performed at The ArtsCenter of Carrboro. A brief trigger warning: The Velocity of Autumn deals with some heavy themes around aging and dementia, particularly depression and suicide.

The show opens with soaring operatic music as we watch an old woman -- played by Lenore Field -- nurse a Molotov cocktail as she shuffles to her barricaded door and refuses to cooperate with her children, who want to take her to a hospital in light of her recent struggles. In a last-ditch effort to avoid calling the police on her, her children bring in their estranged sibling, Chris, who climbs through the old woman's window to talk her down from using her hoard of explosives.

Chris, played by David Berberian, proceeds to try and talk his mother out of her entrenchment, reconnecting with her after 20 years of absence. Even though she appears as fire-spitting and a tad bit spiteful, she quickly reveals how aging has affected her; and as the scene progresses, the audience sees more of the mother's heartbreaking mental decline. Chris fights with the other siblings, buying time as he tries to get his mother to leave the house, and bonding with her over their similarities, especially their love of art.

The Velocity of Autumn, stars Lenore Field as Alexandra and David Berberian as Chris (photo by Alex Maness Photography)

Berberian and Field do a great job in their individual roles, and their best moments come in the climax of the show when the mother admits the full extent of her mental troubles and the fear and anger they cause her. Field gives a powerful monologue that's a testament to the struggle and isolation of aging. Berberian's facial expressions are well worth paying attention to as well, as his reactions really get at the heart of the difficulty of the situation.

If there was one nitpick, Berberian and Field aren't always in-sync, which stands out in a show that is almost exclusively one scene of dialogue. The natural pauses make up for most of it, but it is noticeable in the show's calmer moments. On the flip side, when they are arguing and talking over each other, their dialogue works extremely well. There is plenty of humor while the show deals with difficult themes, though on occasion, jokes are forced into more serious moments where the tension could better stand on its own.

The set and production do not hamper the performance, but they don't add much to it either. The stage is in a black-box space, with audience on both sides of the narrow stage, the barricaded door on one end, the open window on the other. Berberian and Field spend most of their time on either end of the space, which certainly emphasizes the distance between the characters that they gradually bridge; but the space is wide enough that it can feel a little disjointed when they are locked in conversation. It also makes it difficult for the actors to interact while they're speaking, which again makes sense for the show's themes, but is noticeable from the audience.

RedBird Theater Company's production of The Velocity of Autumn, stars Lenore Field as Alexandra (photo by Alex Maness Photography)

On a similar note, the show does not need much in the way of props, and Berberian and Field do a great job of fiddling with their hands and clothes as they vent; but they don't have much in the space to interact with. Occasionally, it can feel like lines are being delivered to the void; but the show is still plenty engaging, especially in the beginning and ending. Lighting is kept to a minimum; but the sound is perfectly timed with the cast, using the occasional music or sound effect.

Overall, The Velocity of Autumn is a moving little piece of empathy and family connection, reminding us that even as we lose parts of our lives, there's still beauty, things to offer, and things to love.

RedBird Theater Company's production of The Velocity of Autumn, stars David Berberian as Chris (photo by Alex Maness Photography)

Eric Coble's THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19th and 20th), directed by Adam Traylor and starring David Berberian as Chris and Lenore Field as Alexandra (RedBird Theater Company at the The ArtsCenter of Carrboro). REELS: https://www.facebook.com/RedBirdTheaterCo/reels/. PRESENTER: https://www.redbirdtheatercompany.com/, https://www.facebook.com/RedBirdTheaterCo/, https://linktr.ee/redbirdtheaternc, https://www.instagram.com/redbirdtheaternc/, and https://www.youtube.com/@RedBirdTheaterCompany. VENUE: https://artscenterlive.org/, https://linktr.ee/artscenterlive, https://www.facebook.com/artscenterlive, https://www.instagram.com/artscenterlive/, https://www.tiktok.com/@artscenterlive, https://x.com/ArtsCenterlive, and https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtsCenterLive. DIRECTIONS/PARKING/MAP: https://artscenterlive.org/visit-us/. THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN (2011 Boise, ID, and 2014 Broadway dramatic comedy): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/98323/the-velocity-of-autumn, https://ericcoble.com/adult-plays/, and https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/the-velocity-of-autumn-495916. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. STUDY GUIDE (Utah Shakespeare Festival): . ERIC COBLE (Edinburgh, Scotland-born playwright and screenwriter): https://ericcoble.com/, https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/1418/eric-coble, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/eric-coble-495920, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167906/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Coble. NOTE: RedBird Theater Company will also perform this show on Sept. 26th and 27th at Walltown Children's Theater in Durham and on Oct. 3rd and 4th at Elizabeth Street United Methodist Church in Durham. The Oct. 3rd and 4th performances are SOLD OUT. TICKETS: $17.82-$43.82, plus taxes. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: contact@redbirdtheatercompany.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: RedBird Theater Company.

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