By Sandi Masori in La Jolla, California
The Family Album, now playing at La Jolla Playhouse, is the story of an Asian American family, but the themes are very relatable to everyone.
A quick synopsis of this Playhouse commissioned work: Musician Mia (Aury Krebs) gets called home from tour by her sister Charlotte (Courtney Reed) because her mom Sylvia (Jodi Long) was in an accident. When she gets there, she finds that her mom is already home, and other than a broken arm, is basically fine. Old family dynamics quickly heat up, with her older sister trying to hold everything together, and her brother Daniel the golden child (Marc delaCruz) getting all the accolades, while mom and dad (Paul Nakauchi) prod Mia about setting a wedding date with her doctor boyfriend and giving up music in favor of a real job. (Jewish kids can definitely relate to the pressure to choose medicine over the arts, and to marry a doctor!)
We soon learn that all is not as it seems and everyone has secrets that they have held back in the name of family harmony or not rocking the boat. As Mia struggles with old hurts, we are introduced to 14-year-old Mia (Claire Kwon) who becomes her shadow. Older and younger Mia try to reconcile past and present.
The story is told more through song than dialogue. And boy can this all-star cast sing. Especially Krebs, wow! What a voice! I also really appreciate that Krebs has a curvy body type, and there is nothing in the play about her weight. It’s nice to see an actor cast for talent and not size. I’d love to see more curvy leading ladies playing roles that are completely irrelevant to their body type. Being a big girl myself, it’s always exciting to see my body type represented in a leading role that is not about weight loss or a glow-up. Kudos to Kate Murray casting.
The decor is fairly minimal, in the background are pipes and lights that suggest the frame of a house, and then little islands of home decor are brought on and off the stage when we’re in the family home. The baby grand piano is moved around the stage depending on where we are- in a theater, Mia’s home, or other locations.
The pacing is fast and the 90 minutes goes pretty quickly. Having said that, it could probably still be tightened up a bit more.
The themes are very relatable: being your true self; speaking up instead of being passive; the damage caused by holding in secrets; family dynamics; protection vs. connection; the pressure to succeed; and seeing your parents as flawed people doing the best they can rather than as gods with an agenda.
While we see a lot of the same pressures in Jewish-American families as Asian American families, I think we as Jews are also blessed with a healthy respect for irreverence and arguing our point. If our forefathers can argue with G-d, we can argue with our parents.
The play was commissioned five years ago and was created by writer Sam Chanse, composers MILCK and AG, and director Jess McLeod. My Asian American friends have told me how much they appreciate seeing themselves and their stories on stage, so I’m hopeful this world premiere will go far. The Playhouse has had 37 world premieres go onto Broadway so far, so we shall see where this goes.
The Family Album is playing through August 23.
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Associate Editor Sandi Masori is a theater and food reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.