Julliard Drama Production of STILL by Jen Silverman

STILL is play that could be considered to be about the remorse of a mother giving birth to a child who is stillborn.  This would be grossly inadequate and yet it is the emotional core of the play which examines quilt, remorse, regret, self-loathing & the power of grief.  The play is derived from the tragic  stillbirth of prof. Lisa Heineman's son.  She was 46 at the time & chose a homebirth with the aid of certified midwife present.  The writing of this layered and poignant play captures the individual & immeasurable process of grieving that ripples forth out of a traumatic loss.  This 1 act, 4 character play was immensely provocative & disturbing.  Morgan is the bereft & unconsolable woman mourning the death of her baby at birth.  Morgan seeks solace in forming a bond with her dead child and in self-flagulation.  There is also the mid-wife who tortures herself with guilt, a young dominatrix happy to met out beatings & is considering aborting her fetus and a male character played in his skivvies as the dead infant embodied as a naive, young man searching for his mother and the meanings to life.  Gwendolyn Ellis plays Morgan with credible angst and intelligence.  Her outstanding performance carried the heavy burden of anchoring the play with sorrow and compassion.  Ellis reminded me of a young Laura Linney and is an exceptionally talented actress.  STILL is playing at Julliard through the weekend and it is worth venturing out in the sub zero temperatures.  The play is sure to thaw the heart with empathy.