By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
photo by Tim Fuller
From top, Abigail Dunscomb, Gretchen Wirges and Samantha Cormier are the moms in question.
Difficult as it is to imagine now, there was once a time that existed before we had the information fountain of the internet, the true online confessions posted on social media and the schedules of your daily family obligations kept handy for instant revision on your smartphone.
Invisible Theatre takes us back to that computer-free time (which, we discover, wasn't that long ago) in its deftly shaded production of “Secrets of a Soccer Mom” by Kathleen Clark.
We often hear that term “Soccer Mom” said with kind of a sneer, as in “stay-at-home mom,” as in “suburban mom,” and other such terms describing married women whose husbands have pretty good jobs so the wives don't need to work.
The three moms we meet are friends because they all have eight-year-old boys who play in the same organized soccer league for kids. All the above layers of cultural distinction are implied in their attitudes and body language but never spoken. It is just accepted as a part of Americana that everyone knows but no one ever talks about.
The women are Nancy (Samantha Cormier), Lynn (Gretchen Wirges) and Alison (Abigail Dunscomb).
There's not a plot so much as there is an 85-minute peeling away of appearances and assumptions as this trio of moms spend a Sunday afternoon with their young sons at a soccer field in the park.
As we watch the moms, they in turn keep an eye on their off-spring offstage while having frequently interrupted conversations with each other. Much of the script's plentiful humor comes from recognizing in each of them how many of the same family challenges all parents have trying to survive parenthood without losing faith in believing their first responsibility is to their children.
Nancy is the stylish mom, with every hair in place and everything she wears matching perfectly with everything else. She also carries around an expensive-looking 35 mm film camera, ready to snap that Kodak Moment whenever it might occur.
Lynn is the frizzy and disorganized-looking one wearing a bright red t-shirt that announces “I'm not yelling, this is just my Soccer Mom voice.” Of course she has a fat notebook binder full of meticulous schedules for everything.
Her role is providing comedy relief and she does a great job of it, stealing scene after scene without ever drawing attention to herself or seeming out of character.
Alison is the most sympathetic one. Always looking completely exhausted, she also seems to care the most about the kids, keeps running offstage to check on the family pet in the car and can't seem to ever find any happiness. But there is so much gallantry in how she keeps on trying.
The pleasure for the audience is in watching how director Nancy Davis Booth carefully develops the specific flavors of each parent, bringing them into focus and then getting into the clashes over secret loves and other concerns that make each woman realize their bonds are stronger than their differences.
“Secrets of a Soccer Mom” runs through May 1 with performances at various times Wednesdays through Sundays at Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. First Ave. All ticket purchases are in advance at www.invisibletheatre.com or phone the box office, 520-882-9721. Tickets are $40 general admission, with discounts for seniors, active duty military, students and groups. All ticket holders are asked to wear masks in the theater.
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