Between Black and White

"God is a manic depressive, rugby footballer...and I'm the ball," says Brian, the play's dark and defeated lead character.

When it comes to self-deprecating humor, Peter Nichols' controversial dark comedy/drama, "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg," doesn't bite its tongue.

Nichols' play-currently running at Buffalo's quaint New Phoenix Theatre on the Park-opened in 1967 in London, and was deemed shocking in its day. Looking at how raising a severely handicapped child can affect a couple, the author was unafraid to explore taboo subjects like euthanasia.

Honest and unafraid to delve into the depths of truth, no matter how ugly, the play is thought to have influenced modern drama tremendously. Going on to Broadway, the play has won numerous Tony Awards and was last revived in 2001 with Eddie Izzard as Brian.

Married to the ever-hopeful Sheila (Mary Moebius), Brian (Todd Benzin) uses his sardonic humor to express his crushed will at the couple's tragic life. Their daughter, Joe Egg (Ashley Mitchell), referred to as a "crackpot" by Brian, has been completely handicapped since birth. She cannot walk, talk or express any type of emotion.

To amuse themselves, the parents invent different personalities for Joe and carry on imaginary conversations with her. The burden of caring for this child weighs on a relationship that was obviously passionate and, at times, can be. There is a great love between the two but also a growing bitterness at how each handles the situation.

Brian's humor is at times alleviating, but mostly damaging to Sheila. She goes along with it for his sake. In a heartfelt monologue, her resentment of Brian's defeat and use of humor at their daughter's expense is shown.

Evident in Brian's stinging words is his growing coldness to his daughter.

However, he is not a monster for feeling this way. The play is rich in moral ambiguity, as in this situation there is no absolute wrong or right. He has exhausted all of his emotions and simply wants his daughter's and his own suffering to end.

Act one is more light-hearted than the second. Brian bursts onto the stage, screaming at the audience, as though the audience is his disobedient classroom. He commands imaginary students to put their hands on their hands. Brian and Sheila comically re-enact their discovery of Joe's ailment, using a pillow as their baby, with Brian playing the part of the inept doctor.

The second act involves more characters. A meddling mother-in-law (Betsey Bittar) enters the scene, as does a well-meaning friend (Dee LaMonte Perry) and a snob, hilariously played by Lisa Vitrano. These extraneous characters are introduced to show outsiders' reactions to a handicapped child. Ranging from an insistence to leave the girl at a home, to constantly wishing for normalcy, to utter disgust, these opinions only confuse the couple further.

Set in a nicely decorated living room, the furniture and accessories are all off-white or cream colored, asserting a kind of tranquility that is nowhere to be found in the couple's existence.

Throughout the play, the characters interact with one another in odd ways, until one of them drifts to the front of the stage, freezing the action. A spotlight falls on them and the person reveals their true self to the audience in a monologue. This honesty makes their actions clear. These moments allow the audience to understand where each character is coming from.

Switching from buffoonery to touching honesty with ease, Benzin's performance as Brian is unforgettable. Rattling off such witty lines takes timing and confidence. Benzin shows both.

This play is thought provoking because it does not provide answers to the audience. It explores the deep gray that resides between black and white.

Not merely lamenting Joe's handicap, Sheila finds a certain truth in her daughter's outward disability.

"She's only one kind of cripple. We're all damaged in some way," she says.