Dixon Place Presents

BLOSSUM

Dixon Place
161 Christie Street
NY NY
9-24 September 2016

Created and Directed by: Spencer Lott

Featuring: Robert Stevenson, Jamie Agnello, Rowan Magee, Chelsea Fryer, and Sam Jay Gold

As people grow elderly, especially those with Alzheimers, they literally shrink and wither. They become helpless: unable to walk, eat, or go to the bathroom without assistance. This makes the residents of an assisted living facility portrayed by Spencer Lott’s imaginative puppets a perfect metaphor. Lovingly handled by the actors/puppeteers, these residents, especially our hero, James Blossom, create an imaginary world that is all too real.

With ingeniously simple set pieces, BLOSSUM flows easily from the reality of degeneration to the creative imagination in the mind of James Blossom, former scenic artist from the heyday of the motion picture industry.

The staff of Blossom’s new residence are caring and kind, especially the art therapist, played with humor and intelligence by Chelsea Fryer. As Blossom’s adoring daughter, Jamie Agnello is charming and sweet with the flashes of anger and frustration at the situation many of us are in: caring for a parent with a fading brain.

When the actors/puppeteers came out at the end to take their bows, I was confused for a split second, wondering where the actor playing the role of Blossom was! That is how real the puppet character became to me in this moving and lovely piece.

- Jean Tait -