Albion Theatre has mounted another fine production of a British play that merits our attention. The play is Laura Wade’s Colder Than Here, which premiered in 2005.

The central character, Myra, has advanced secondary bone cancer, but she seems to be coping well in the opening scene. She and her younger daughter, Jenna, are visiting a burial ground to determine if it is a suitable resting place for Myra. The mother is calm; the daughter is distraught.

In the second scene, Myra gives a PowerPoint presentation entitled “My Funeral.” She uses PowerPoint because it was on her computer and she had never used it before. Her experiments with animation prompt chuckles. Some of her ideas prompt objections.

Watching the presentation are Myra’s husband, Alec; her older daughter, Harriet; and Jenna. Harriet is holding together better than Jenna, and Alec’s emotions appear to be more engaged by a boiler that isn’t working than his wife’s illness.

A great deal changes in the following scenes. The family members follow paths that are not linear as they come to terms with Myra’s impending death. The development of the characters is admirably depicted in performances by Susan Wylie as Myra, David Wassilak as Alec, Anna Langdon as Harriet, and Livy Potthoff as Jenna. Under Robert Ashton’s knowing direction, the cast nicely handles the play’s humor, which is more abundant than one might expect in a play about a terminal illness.

One staging element is unique to the Albion production. Projections are usually employed to show the audience what the potential burial grounds look like when they are being visited. Instead of seeing projections, the Albion audience hears how the places are described in the stage directions. Gwynneth Rausch is the effective narrator, who was added with permission to the script. Rausch is also the stage manager and props designer.

Kristen Meyer’s scenic design accommodates the all the required settings along the theater’s longer wall. Jeff Kargus constructed both the set and its most important prop, a coffin. The costumes are by Tracey Newcomb, the lighting by Michelle Zielinski, and sound and projections by Ted Drury.

Colder Than Here continues through June 29 at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre, 501 North Grand Boulevard.

—Gerry Kowarsky

Photo by John Lamb
From the left, Jenna (Livy Potthoff), Myra (Susan Wylie), Alec (David Wassilak), and Harriet (Anna Langdon) are watching a PowerPoint presentation in Colder Than Here.