Actress shines as an injured veteran in FST’s gripping ‘Ugly Lies the Bone’
Over the last dozen years, Rachel Moulton has become a favorite of audiences at Florida Studio Theatre for her deeply committed and personal performances in a variety of lightly comic and heavily dramatic plays.
In her latest role as Jess in Lindsey Ferrentino’s “Ugly Lies the Bone,” which opens the company’s 2024 Stage III series, she makes you feel the emotional and physical pain of an Afghanistan war veteran who has returned home after three tours with a badly disfigured face and severe injuries to her body. Each step or movement of her head causes a wince or a sense of anguish that cuts deep as she tries to work her way toward a better outlook with the help of virtual reality therapy.
Last season, Urbanite Theatre dealt with a similar treatment protocol in Jacqueline Goldfinger’s one-person play “Backwards Forwards Back” about an Army veteran trying to tame issues related to post traumatic stress disorder.
These plays may never be able to fully convey the possibilities of such virtual therapies without more lavish productions and higher tech budgets. But we don’t really need to see the images to get the idea of how a video that transports Jess through calming images of snowy mountains can help her move forward.
Jess is certainly dealing with a lot. She gave up the life she envisioned as a teacher with a boyfriend she cared for to serve her country. She is understandably bitter and frustrated, both at her physical pain and the way she is treated by others. Old friends don’t recognize and she has trouble finding a job. She is stuck living with her older sister, Kacie, who seems to be living out the life and career Jess imagined.
Ferrentino also touches on the broader impact of Jess’ trauma on her family and friends. Amanda Jill Robinson sensitively plays Kacie as trying to balance living her own life and being supportive, all while walking on egg shells, unsure of what might trigger an episode for her sister. She also is coping with their mother who is no longer able to live at the family home in a declining Space Coast neighborhood.
One of the triggers appears to be Kacie’s sweet but ne’er do well boyfriend, Kelvin (Alex Teicheira) who seems to be something of a schemer living off government support checks, which only stirs Jess’ anger. He may be a great guy, but Jess’ trust has evaporated.
And then there’s Jess’ former boyfriend, Stevie, a goofball of sorts played by Johnny Shea. Ferrentino parse out their story so we don’t fully understand the nature of their past relationship until the end. Johnny is now married, and after losing his job at NASA (we’re never really sure what kind of job it was), he’s working at a convenience store. It is evident they still have a connection.
The play is tenderly staged by Kristin Clippard, who most recently directed Urbanite’s wonderful “The Sound Inside.” That show’s star Vickie Daignault has the mostly unseen role of a therapist guiding Jess through her treatment program.
There are moments when I wanted to know more details about past events or for Ferrentino to dig more deeply into the virtual therapy. But Clippard and her cast clearly help the audience connect to and understand the characters, their challenges, the horrors of war and the too-often-forgotten problems that veterans are left to face on their own.
‘Ugly Lies the Bone’
By Lindsey Ferrentino. Directed by Kirstin Clippard. Reviewed Jan. 24, Florida Studio Theatre Stage III, Bowne’s Lab Theatre, 1265 First St., Sarasota. Through Feb. 9. Tickets are $25-$46. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: FST explores virtual reality therapy for injured veterans in new play
