Scott DeVine, ETC’s Artistic Director, announces that the actors had only one day to rehearse. And that’s why at the beginning, the play feels like a stage reading. But when you have such a pool of talented and experienced actors, magic happens and the day is saved.
In Parents in Chains, the typical concerns of any given parent become atypical, leading to a menagerie of feelings disrupting the peace and sanity of the six parents whose 17-year-old daughters are on a trip to San Francisco. As the teenagers are ready to come back to Los Angeles, an unusual hurricane is approaching, endangering their well-being and triggering their parents’ deepest fears.
While their daughters are away in San Francisco, the parents’ backgrounds are revealed. Muriel (Melora Hardin) and Rick (Matt Walsh) are going through a rough patch in their marriage, even thinking about a divorce. Mark (Pete Gardner) is a widow, having lost his wife five years ago. Winona (Sharon Lawrence) is still digesting the painful experience of her husband divorcing her. Diane (Jorja Fox) and Connor (Thomas Sadoski) are married, but a secret between Diane and Winona’s ex-husband threatens to stain their marriage.
So, how do parents of a certain age (Hollywood’s code name for people over 40) communicate when their kids are in danger? Texting, of course, typos included. As the text chain becomes more intense, their personalities, strengths, and vulnerabilities become more obvious. Who gives the green light for their daughters to either hit the road or stay at a hotel instead? Who takes control of the text chain? Who keeps their cool and who loses it?
The outstanding script by Jay Martel—who has won Emmy, Peabody, Writers Guild of America, and American Comedy awards as a writer—is a clever description of the parental anxiety of losing one’s kids, not in a storm, but in that dreadful time when they move away from home to start college, far from their parents’ watchful care. These six parents in the play are forced to face the inevitable, seeing their kids grow up, ready to start the adventure called life, on their own.
Texting-wise, however, these six parents are awful. Connor, especially, is a disaster. Driving and texting is not his thing at all, and his typos heighten Muriel’s anxiety, sending her into panic mode. In Martel’s witty writing, the revelations of the parents’ personalities and secrets are intertwined with political and social commentaries. Topics of race, sex, and the pressure of success show the turmoil of today’s American society. Martel also exposes the tectonic shift in human connection. Paradoxically, the immediacy of connection through technology has led to an emotionally-disconnected society, increasing the sinking feeling of isolation that threatens to break apart friendships and even families.
For this production, Director Andy Fickman utilizes the extraordinary skills of his actors to deliver the chaos and comedy of the script. The scenic and lighting designs are kept at a minimum, focusing on the superb comedic talents of the actors, each one with a stellar list of stage, film, and TV credits. Fickman’s successful formula for this production is pretty simple. Put a group of great actors on stage with a remarkable script and they’ll work their magic to make it a vivid and exciting theatrical experience. Do not miss this one; it’s a rare opportunity to see all of these amazing thespians together on stage.
Parents in Chains
Ensemble Theatre Company at The New Vic
33 W. Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Runs: Wednesday, March 12 – Sunday, March 30, 2025
Performances are Wednesdays at 2:00pm & 7:30pm, Thursdays at
7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm, Sundays at
2:00pm. There will be added performances on Tuesday, March 18 &
Tuesday, March 25 at 7:30pm.
Tickets: etcsb.org
Written by Jay Martel. Directed by Andy Fickman. Produced by J. Todd Harris.
March 12-16 Cast: Jorja Fox, Pete Gardner, Melora Hardin, Sharon Lawrence, Thomas Sadoski, and Matt Walsh.
March 18-23 Cast: Melora Hardin, Gildart Jackson, Sharon Lawrence, Joshua Malina, Gina Torres, James Urbaniak.
March 25-30 Cast: John Ross Bowie, Rob Huebel, Sharon Lawrence, Loni Love, Jane Lynch, James Urbaniak.
Creative team: Lighting Design by Michael Rathbun; Sound and Projection Design
by Ben Crop; Casting by Michael Donovan Casting, CSA, Michael Donovan & Richie Ferris.
