New mother Diane plans to meet her husband, Mark, for a much delayed anniversary dinner. What should be a celebration has instead put Diane on edge. The infant, Bobby (boy? girl?), refuses to settle down and Diane rocks the baby while downing several glasses of white wine. Cradling her cellphone, she tells Mark she’ll be at the restaurant on time and is just waiting for the babysitter to show up. Diane dips her finger in the wine and gives Bobby a taste. Finally peace.
It’s the first time Diane is leaving the baby with a sitter. “What if she’s a murderer?” she asks Mark. He assures her it will be fine. Erin isn’t a killer, but she also isn’t Mary Poppins. At Diane’s request, she takes off her boots, settles into the sofa and engages in some small talk. Diane doesn’t volunteer to show her Bobby and Erin finally has to ask. That deed done, Diane puts on her shoes, wraps herself in a shawl and leaves.
Nicki Kissil and Morgan Zipf-Meister
Erin wastes no time taking out some weed. A few minutes later Diane’s back, saying she left her cellphone. Seeing the weed, she’s at first upset that Erin would plan to get high while watching a baby. But when Erin, noticing Diane’s nervousness, suggests she smoke a little, Diane is quick to agree.
It only takes a few inhales for Diane to loosen up and begin to confide in Erin. Since giving birth she’s been having debilitating cramps, regularly, once a month. Twice during the play she’s writhing in pain on the floor. Erin’s confused, asking if what she’s experiencing is her period. It’s obvious, however, that Diane’s pain is not just physical. Mark wanted children, she didn’t, and even made an appointment for an abortion, changing her mind at the last minute. The thrill of motherhood continues to elude her, and she worries about the impact she’s having on Bobby.
Erin notices a painting on the wall depicting Lilith, thought to be the first wife of Adam, who was banished from the Garden of Evil. Diane eagerly brings out a tome on astrology and encourages Erin to work on her birth chart. The two women discover they are aligned astrologically and may have more in common than they thought.
Kayla Eisenberg has packed a lot into her 90-minute play using Lilith as the centerpiece. In astrology, Lilith is a complex figure, representing, on her troubling side, rebellion, pain, trauma, and, in extremes, evil. But she also can manifest living up to the many challenges life delivers and coming out stronger after that experience. Both Diane and Erin have troubling pasts, having lost someone close to them. Diane’s loss is preventing her from embracing motherhood, while Erin’s caused her to abandon graduate school and spend her time babysitting and smoking weed. Their encounter presents a chance for healing. Will they be able to take that step?
Richard Lovejoy and Nicki Kissil
Except for a brief late appearance by Richard Lovejoy as Mark, Lilith in Pisces is a two-person play. Morgan Zipf-Meister as Diane and Nicki Kissil as Erin are evenly matched in this battle for clarity and redemption. Zipf-Meister’s performance is complex. One moment her face is skewed in agony, but reacting to one of Erin’s comments, she’s laughing. The transformation is never complete and points up the ambiguity in Diane’s feelings. When Erin is finally ready to unload her own pain, she meets that moment with honesty, hoping to finally settle scores with Diane.
Director Stephanie Cox-Connolly has a deft touch with her small cast. Given the seriousness of the plot, Zipf-Meister and Kissil could easily have ramped up the drama, but the audience is given time to breathe between the duo’s confessions. Scenic design by Sandy Yaklin creates the upscale yet cozy New Jersey home that, at one point, makes its own frightening statement.
Lilith in Pisces
The Flea
20 Thomas Street
Remaining performances: Tuesday, March 11, Wednesday, March 12, and Tuesday, March 18
Top: Nicki Kissil and Morgan Zipf-Meister
Photo Credit: Kent Meister
