‘To Grandmother’s House We Go’ Shows that Home is Where the Heart, Hostility and Hilarity Are

From left Tessa Grace, Raquel Brooks, Cecil Jennings, Jeffrey Winner, and Beccy Quinn.
Photo by Doug ENGALIA

By Justin HAGER

“In this family, we put great value on the parry and the thrust. If you disagree with me you must counter. You must provide a rational discourse, not just an expletive.”

~ Great Uncle Jared inTo Grandmother’s House We Go

Never has a line from a 40-year-old theatrical production felt more relevant and necessary to a modern society than this. After two years of limited outside social interactions and several decades of growing social and political unrest, our country’s ability to engage in rational discourse has been stretched to its limits. Yet “To Grandmother’s House We Go,” which is currently playing at Burbank’s Group Repertory Theatre, provides a difficult, awkward, tragic and simultaneously heartwarming and hilarious model for this type of discourse while gathered with our family in confined quarters.

Written and set in 1981 New England, the show explores how shifts in societal values and expectations intersect with painful realities of life, death, marriage, divorce and familial values of love, loyalty and what it means to go home.

From left Dianne Travis, Jeffrey Winner and Beccy Quinn.

Elegantly simple in its design and execution, the entire show takes place on a single set in the formal parlor of a sprawling but rapidly deteriorating Victorian manor where three generations of an unnamed but previously prosperous family has reunited for Thanksgiving. Grandie Emma, portrayed by award-winning Broadway actress Dianne Travis, is the matriarch of the family – a no-nonsense woman of a generation all but forgotten in which manners, propriety and family ties were at the center of a woman’s standing. The opening moments are awkward as a now generation-old script attempts to establish Grandie’s character and values using references that no longer hold much relevance, especially to a west coast audience. Yet, despite the inherent limitations of a character whose most oft-repeated line is, “True anguish is best kept upstairs” (and thus out of sight), Travis demonstrates a tremendous capacity for her art, portraying Grandie as a character who exudes a type of coy playfulness, youthful exuberance and genuine love for her on-stage family that carries the emotional impact of the show throughout. She is joined by her on-stage brother, Jared, portrayed by Jeffrey Winner, whose presence and comedic timing is beyond reproach, providing brief, yet all encompassing, moments of respite from what might otherwise become an exhausting look into a rather dysfunctional family. Rounding out the elder generation is Clementine, played by Lareen Faye, the lovable yet stern nanny and lifelong house staff member whose devotion to the family is admirable and convincing, if not fully fleshed out by the script.

While the older generation carries the bulk of the show’s emotional impact, it is the youngest generation that is responsible for moving the story forward. Middle child Beatrice, an alcoholic divorcee whose custody arrangement has left her estranged from her beloved children is masterfully portrayed by Tessa Grace whose pain is palpable and whose willingness to lob nuclear bombs at an anthill is almost-too-exhaustingly familiar to viewers who have witnessed drug or alcohol addiction first hand. Brother Paul, played by Cecil Jennings, balances the expectations and responsibilities of being the oldest child with the newfound responsibilities of being in a long-term and committed interracial, and perhaps more importantly inter-coastal, relationship with California Realtor Twyla, portrayed by Raquel Brooks. The youngest child, the adult-baby of the family is Muffy, portrayed by Beccy Quinn.

The most interesting and difficult performance of the show comes from middle-generation character Harriet, portrayed in my viewing by the accomplished veteran actress Maria Kress. While Kress’ monologue to her children at the end of the show was among the most poignant and emotionally powerful I have seen on stage, it was, not unlike the character of Harriet, lost in an otherwise unmemorable performance that left me intellectually understanding Harriet’s journey and struggles without emotionally caring about her as a character.

Overall, “To Grandmothers House We Go” is an emotionally compelling and hilarious look at the often unstated expectations that each of us experience with what it means to be a part of a family and our ability to go home during times of change and upheaval. Despite an aging script, the cast successfully challenges the audience to take an introspective look at these issues and delivers both entertaining and thought-provoking performances that make this show well worth the time and price of admission.

“To Grandmother’s House We Go” is playing at the Group Repertory Theatre in Burbank through Sunday, March 6. Tickets are available at https://thegrouprep.com/.