By Andre Mayer
The subject matter of Cause Unknown is like a shiny apple. Upon first glance, it radiates like a ruby in a jewelry store showcase. But peel the skin, dive beneath its veneer, and it’s rotten. Hence, and its core, Cause Unknown is deeply disturbing.
The play opens, and plays mainly in the household of a steadfast traditional Italian family. At first, the relationships and dealings between family members are extremely funny, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a frown in the audience. But every member is carrying emotional baggage, Mama (played heroically by Mary Long) is a real pistol: a scathing, often hilarious mouthpiece that flies between English and Italian and all points in between with dizzying effects. Consumed by hysterics for the better part of the play, the mother personifies the whirlwind emotions that permeate the drama.
Toni Ellwand, the woman who penned the play, stars as the stoic daughter Felice, who returns home a success, only to realize that perhaps the bond of family are really shackles. Felice’s sister, Gina, who never left home, is played with rancour by Norma Dell’Agnese. The father (played by Walter Villa), has a role that skirts the periphery in the first half of the play, but becomes prominent later on. The second half, in fact, is very disquieting, and serves up several horrifying twists.
The acting is top-notch, and although the play is staged economically, it comes across emotionally with all the impact of an uppercut at the speed of sound. Cause Unknown foregoes singing, but somehow is still akin to the comic tragedies of Italian opera by virtue of its sheer volume and vertiginous passions.
So, for theatre buffs and the uninitiated alike, Cause Unknown should prove an engaging night out. But if you’re hopin’ to get a warm and fuzzy feeling in your gut, look elsewhere—like Before Sunrise, or your liquor cabinet.
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