Milwaukee’s Acacia Theater, now celebrating its 30th season, does a fine job conveying the thoughts and emotions of a pre-teenage girl who must come to terms with her brother’s sudden death. In Searching for David’s Heart,accomplished playwright Cherie Bennett tells a fairly complex story that unearths a lot of hard realities pre-teens face today.
Sixth-grader Darcy (Claire Zempel) lives with her family in Appleton, WI. Her father, a police officer, often seems distant. In a conversation between her father (Jason Will) and mother (Danette Bulkema), we learn that his recent back disability may result in a lifetime desk job for the once-energetic cop. He is sullen and resentful at this turn of fate, and he worries that being sidetracked by his injury might put the family in financial jeopardy. He rails against those who seem to have lives that run much smoother than his.
Putting further financial stress on the family is the father’s mother, an invalid who lives in a nursing home. It appears she wasn’t very kind or generous to Darcy’s father when he was growing up. The father – who has vowed to be more generous to his own children – is keenly disappointed at not being able to buy his daughter the laptop she wants for her birthday.
No wonder Darcy is so attached to her big brother, David (David Lopez). Strong and handsome, he dotes on his little sister when he’s not spending time at high school football practice. When David suddenly discovers girls, Darcy doesn’t like “sharing” his attention with other women. She even ruins her own birthday party when David brings his girlfriend to the festivities. Darcy rejects a lovely necklace that David gives her because he got one for his girlfriend, as well.
A lot of the play’s comedy is handled deftly by Darcy’s nearby friend, Sam (Paul Budnowski). Somewhat small for his age, Sam deflects his classmates’ ridicule with his own wisecracks. However, Sam admits privately to Darcy that he is irritated by the constant taunts.
The first thing we learn about Sam is his great interest in the late magician, Houdini, who was born in Appleton. Sam goes so far as to learn some of Houdini’s tricks. Like the real Houdini, Sam is also Jewish.
Little does Sam realize that his makeshift séance actually summons the ghost of Houdini (David Sapiro). Houdini first appears from a trunk wearing an old-fashioned tuxedo. Unseen by Sam or anyone else in the play, Houdini is the narrator who helps move the plot along. He also takes on a number of other roles, to the point where it is sometimes confusing to separate all the characters he attempts. Other actors are double-cast, as well.
When David is killed in a tragic accident, Darcy blames herself. Despondent and desperate, she and Sam discover through some internet searching that David’s heart has been donated to a young boy in Miami. Darcy is determined to meet the boy who received David’s heart. Armed with youthful courage and financed by Sam’s bar mitzvah cash, Darcy and Sam set off on a Greyhound bus bound for Miami. About halfway there, they are let off for a meal stop. A nearby carnival attracts their attention. The following scene – in which the bus leaves without them and they manage to win some money from a carnival magician – is the only part of the tale that seems contrived. Most of the play reflects the authentic thoughts and feelings of adolescents and their families.
Director Rob Goodman is quite familiar with this script, which he directed 16 years ago when it was part of the Kennedy Center’s New Visions program. In the Acacia production, he moves the actors smoothly through the many transitions that take place. The young actors give credible performances, and the adults in the cast hold up their end as well.
Of particular note is Milwaukee actor and poet Nigel Wade. As the Miami doctor whose son received David’s donated heart, he understands instantly why Darcy has become so agitated after she reveals her reason for coming to Miami. Meeting Winston (Kwasi Stampley), the heart transplant recipient, has been more of a shock for Darcy than she realized. Only by talking with Sam and Winston later does she begin to understand that Winston didn’t lead a perfect life before receiving the life-saving heart. And now, in recovery, his challenges aren’t over yet. It’s a shame that Winston is only in the play’s final scenes. Kwasi Stampley is likeable to the point where we want to know more about him and his family.
One of the play’s memorable moments is when Darcy asks to listen to David’s heart, now beating strongly within Winston. At last, she feels a sense of forgiveness and peace. It’s a fitting end to this touching and heart-warming play.
