^{(l to r) Paul E. Halley, Daniel Goldberg, Janet Geist Moore, Kelly Christopher, and Kevin B. Aries
Photo: Bob Tucker/Focalpoint Studio}

Review by Steve Desroches

Going to the theater is always an adventure, and the Provincetown Theater’s current production of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Bess Wohl’s play Small Mouth Sounds is a thrill. Set at a bucolic meditation center in modern-day upstate New York where six over-stimulated, anxious, and unfulfilled city dwellers have arrived for a week-long silent retreat, the ensemble presents a most compelling narrative with next to no dialogue. Away from hectic New York City, the hope is that they will all find inner peace and renewed purpose with the guidance of a guru-like teacher. However, the voices in their own heads prove louder than any jack hammer or police siren in the city. And the teacher? Well, he does most of the talking, but in the silence of the woods, with only the sounds of leaves rustling and birds chirping, the wisdom they all discovered from his podcasts and YouTube videos begins to fade as there’s nothing to distract their attention away from what is starting to sound like New Age bull shit. That said, there is real catharsis, for better or worse, and the source is unexpected. 

This production of Small Mouth Sounds, under the crackling direction of Alison Greene, bursts with enthusiasm, which is surprising as again there is next to no dialogue. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any communication or a deep story. And don’t worry, this isn’t a play performed by mimes. All the actors create fully formed characters that, matched with Greene’s direction, use appropriate restraint in their respective performances. As an audience member you lean deeper into each and every movement as that’s where the narrative is largely placed. How a character nervously rifles through her bag, or gives a sideways glance, or tries to warn that a bear may be nearby all write spoken words you only hear in your own head. 

Kelly Christopher and Janet Geist Moore as married Joan and Judy give beautifully heartbreaking performances as a couple in crisis, but very much in love. Kevin B. Aries as Rodney, a social media yoga influencer, delights as a seemingly centered spiritual being with a storm brewing inside. Daniel Goldberg as Ned, a nervous, twitchy man who needs to unload a whole lot of trauma, delivers both comedy and the tender-hearted energy of someone who needs a friend and his hand held. Paul E. Halley, as Jan, delivers a performance with sensitivity and a bit of mystery that is engrossing and vulnerable as well as delightfully playful. And William Mullin as the Teacher, a disembodied voice who never appears on stage, knocks it out of the park creating a strong image of this character you never see, yet is omnipresent, but a bit like if Don Knotts was a guru, making for comedy gold. 

Small Mouth Sounds is at the Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St., Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. now through October 25. Tickets ($65) are available at the box office and online at provincetowntheater.org. For more information call 508.487.7487.