A pair of teens find friendship while completing a school assignment in I and You, an award-winning play by Lauren Gunderson. The production is by Milwaukee’s Next Act Theater, which has a long association with Gunderson. In fact, is a way of closing the circle that began with the start of this season. Next Act won critical acclaim last fall for producing another Gunderson play: Silent Sky. Both productions were directed by David Cescarini, Next Act’s producing artistic director. This further connects Gunderson’s vision to Next Act, as the two seem to be forming a strong relationship. (A previous Next Act season also contained Gunderson’s Book of Will). Local audiences should cheer for the opportunity to see another of Gunderson’s works. Nationally, I and You is the most popular of Gunderson’s plays, most likely for its uncommon ending. The play plumbs familiar territory - two teens, each with a uniquely different personality and outlook on life. Caroline (Cristina Panfilio) has lived with an undisclosed physical illness for most of her life, and she hasn’t been to school in months. The play is set in Cristina’s untidy bedroom (beautifully and realistically designed by Rick Rasmussen). She is surprised and annoyed by an unannounced visit from an unknown classmate, Anthony (Ibraheem Farmer). He was invited to go upstairs after talking to Caroline’s mother, who asked him to take a plate of cookies to Caroline’s room. This act of kindness does little to appease the infuriated Caroline. She feels violated—as only a teen would—by his intrusion.
Anthony tries hard to win her favor by pleading with her to work on an assignment about Walt Whitman’s use of pronouns. While the assignment was handed out weeks ago, he had been unable to contact Caroline (“who reads email anymore?,” she says.) In frustration, Anthony started to work on the assignment on his own. He shows her a pitiful example of poster art on the assigned subject. Even Caroline agrees that he is, indeed, over his head. When Caroline asks Anthony why he has chosen her as his project partner, Anthony says that he just wanted to get to know his mysterious classmate. He brings along a copy of Walt Whitman’s poetry, and tries to interest her by reading brief passages of Whitman’s work. Over time, Caroline grows to welcome Anthony’s visits. She reveals some of her secret fears, such as the fact she doubts whether she’ll ever live long enough to enter adulthood. Through it all, Anthony is patient and warm. Although he doesn’t pretend to know what Caroline is going through, he works hard to get her to focus on something other than her illness (such as the poetry assignment, which is due the following day). They share their taste in music, which is Coltrane for Anthony and Elvis for Cristina. The talented Cristina Panfilio doesn’t disappoint as the multi-faceted Caroline. Anyone who has seen her recent appearance as Puck in the 2017 American Players’ Theater production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will recognize some of the same mischievous behavior seen here. Small and pixie-ish in appearance, Panfilio manages to capture all the various moods that her teen character displays. She is incredibly smart (as witnessed by a class presentation, which Anthony captures on videotape), but also as frightened as a child. When her physical antics are interrupted by a “spell,” she grabs her plush pet turtle and curls into a fetal position on her bed. Anthony, on his part, remains stoic and supportive throughout. While Ibraheem Farmer seemed a bit stiff on opening night, he assuredly is going in the right direction and will relax into his role with subsequent performances. Director David Cescarini keeps the audience focused on the growing connection between the two characters. Any small inconsistencies are resolved at the play’s surprise ending (which cannot be revealed here). I and You is so popular for revealing the essential things that make us human. While today’s world—with all its electronic temptations— may make us forget the elemental concept of connectivity, Lauren Gunderson’s play coaxes us back into the realm of face-to-face communication. It’s a lesson we all need to be reminded of, and Gunderson does so in a most intriguing and original way.
