Twenty years ago, Wisconsin playwright Richard Kalinoski’s Beast on the Moonmade its Milwaukee debut. This fact is important since the play is set in Milwaukee from 1921-1933. It tells the story of two Armenians, a man and a woman, who both lost their families in the Armenian genocide. Together, they try to start a new life in America.
In the 1995 Milwaukee production, Mary MacDonald Kerr played the leading role of Seta, a young Armenian woman. Now, MacDonald Kerr returns to the play – but this time, as its director.
Time has shaped this drama into an even stronger piece than it was before. Notably, the play has won many awards over the years and has had dozens of productions. It opened in 1995 at the Humana Festival in Louisville and that same year had an Off-Broadway production at the now-closed Century City, near Union Square. To date, the play has been produced in 17 countries and translated into 12 languages. A notable LA production opened in 2010, at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center in West Hollywood.
MacDonald’s familiarity with the play is evident in the current Milwaukee production, which includes both the heartbreak and the humor that frames these characters’ existence. Aram makes his living in America as a photographer, as did his father. Aram sets aside enough money to “purchase” a picture bride from Armenia. He chooses Seta, a 15-year-old girl.
The opening scene is the first day that they meet face-to-face. Seta is overwhelmed by Aram’s sparse apartment. She touches and comments favorably on everything she sees. However, a few moments later, Aram is dragging her off to “see” the bedroom. He wants to get going on producing a family of his own.
The play’s timeframe, set just six years after the Armenian genocide, guarantees that the couple’s memories are still vivid and painful. We don’t get much of a hint of what these adolescents witnessed until much later in the play.
In addition to the couple, there’s also an older man who serves as the play’s narrator. He fills in bits of history about the genocide and watches the play unfold. Later, the same man reappears, but as a boy about age 12. He is an orphan, too. Since Seta is unable to have her own children (probably due to her starvation in Armenia), she takes a maternal interest in the children around her neighborhood.
One of the play’s strengths is that the conflict is firmly established. Aram comes off as a bit mean and stiff in the beginning. He is traditional and observes his faith by frequently reading passages of the Bible. He is strongly attached to his past, even displaying a large photo of his murdered family in the dining room. Seta, on the other hand, looks forward to the possibilities and opportunities ahead. She often uses the word “lucky” to describe her situation.
As Aram, Michael Cotey projects the anger and frustration of a man who wants desperately to become a father. He is often unaware of Seta’s feelings. Eventually, Seta must speak up and affirm her place in the family. Seta (Grace DeWolff) demands to be treated as an equal, thereby allowing the audience to become more sympathetic toward Aram.
DeWolff delivers a miraculous portrayal of Seta. Survival has taught Seta how to behave in every instance. DeWolff carries her losses silently, as opposed to her husband’s outward declarations. DeWolff certainly looks the part, too. She has the dark, hooded eyes of an Armenian and also does an excellent job with her Armenian accent. Aram’s accent is less pronounced, probably due to the length of time his character has spent in the United States.
As the narrator/young boy, veteran actor Robert Spencer is clearly up to the task. His faces easily transforms from the narrator’s professorial look to the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a young boy. The playful scenes between Seta and the boy provide some lightness to the atrocities mentioned elsewhere in the play.
Beast on the Moon does end on an upbeat note. A clash of wills between husband and wife results in the past being placed where it belongs – in the past – and a couple who can more fully live in the present.
