IRON: A COMPELLING PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA AT THE MOXIE THROUGH JUNE 25

June 14, 2022 (La Mesa) - We are immediately drawn into this prison story of a mother and daughter trying to navigate through new terrain for both of them. The Roustabout Theatre group presents "Iron" at the Moxie theatre in La Mesa. The play is written by Rona Munro and directed by Jacole Kitchen.

The story centers around Fay, the mother, who is 20 years into her prison sentence for murdering her husband and Josie, her daughter, who was 10 at the time of the murder and has never visited her mom.

Josie has sought out her mother to fill a void. She has no memories of her dad. Fay is a bit reluctant at first, never having told her story. She wants to protect her daughter and for Josie to remember the good aspects of her father

Josie immediately latches onto her mom and slowly draws out her memories. Fay, after initial insecurities, encourages Josie to live her life and lives vicariously through her daughter. This is very much a character driven play and a study of human nature. 

The play also includes two guards. A male and female, whom I don't quite get. They like Fay and try to help her in a way. Yet apparently, their hands are tied and they cruelly carry out their jobs. 

The story takes place at an English prison; originally the story was Scottish. The accents are excellent, though Sheila, the female guard, can be hard to understand at times. But I love Sheila, such a wonderful character, at least as portrayed by the wonderful Jada Alston Owens. 

The set is a simple cell with a bed and nightstand set off to stage right. There is a little garden area in front of the cell in a corner, which houses a couple of scenes, and a visiting area center stage, with kind of an office behind and stage left. Since the show basically is the visits between mom and daughter, Ms. Kitchen did a great job of moving about the stage, making use of the space and giving us more to focus on. Also, the scenes between the guards were nicely done.

The two powerful actresses who invited us into the story are a real mother and daughter team, who have worked together before, but not portraying a mom and daughter. I imagine this was tough, especially given the subject matter, separating the fiction from reality and yet drawing on experience. Rosina Reyhnolds as Fay and Kate Rose Reynolds as Josie shined as they gave us powerfully delivered entertainment.

The other guard is played by Richard P. Trujillo. A strong actor who added to the drama unfolding. Also delivering a strong performance. 

If you enjoy a good prison story from time to time, come on out. Support local theatre and immerse yourself in someone else's problems.  Give yourself something to ponder.

The show is a little longer and the theatre is quite cool.  COVID practices are back in place.   Bring your vaccination record and you will need to wear a mask.