REVIEW: Nancy (Mosaic Theater Company)

Would you sell out your culture if it meant a chance at financial security — even if that chance was low? In Mosaic’s Nancy, now playing at the Atlas on H Street, playwright Rhiana Yazzie explores this and more in the context of Reagan-era capitalism. Meanwhile, Nancy Reagan herself grapples with star signs and omens as she wrangles her husband’s career and her own reputation as First Lady. There are moments of convergence across the two channels, but the gears don’t always add up. Powerful performances grasp at shoddy dialogue, poor comedic timing, and missed-chance storytelling, yet ultimately I did leave the theatre reflecting on the long-term impacts of Reaganomics, identity politics, and capitalism on indigenous communities.

Book

Dueling A & B plots compete for prominence, muddling who the focus is on for most of the runtime. The A-plot —and I’m only calling it this because it’s the first one shown, not because of importance — centers around the titular Nancy Reagan, establishing her as a domineering political matron. She bosses assistants around, molds the aesthetics of the presidential mansion to her own, and treats her own children like business liabilities. She’s also an astrology girlie, which in the 1980’s was pure scandal. The revelation of these practices and how they pertain to presidential puppeteering eventually join forces with claims that she is an alleged descendent of “the original first lady” Pocahontas herself. It’s never quite clear what this is supposed to amount to, at least based on all the screen time Nancy gets. (If the storytelling spread shifted from 60/40 Nancy to 30/70 Esmeralda, I’d be content.) The B plot centers on the indigenous experience, which offers much more engagement, but feels like a backseat role in comparison. Esmeralda is the president of the American Indian Women’s Business Institute in Albuquerque, the economic representation of her character as a single mother who wants to uplift her community. She’s been on national news, she helped shut down a uranium mine which poisoned her family, and she now has her sights on upward mobility in this new, optimistic, “Indian-friendly” era of Reaganomics. When she makes it to a Native American business conference in Denver, her ideas of what constitutes positive participation of the Indian experience are shaken at the foundations. Esmeralda is written as a dynamic, compassionate woman, but I felt she was not given enough opportunity to show this power. Scenes where she engages with her ornery daughter Jacqueline lack much importance, and their relationship feels inauthentic at times. However, Yazzie’s own Navajo heritage provides a breath of authenticity which revives much of the action at more than a few lulls, keeping you interested in the dynamics of native identity. Yet there are even smaller grain-of-sand plot devices that seem to be resolved with little actual consequence, which I found to be a missed chance for further exploration. Supporting characters arrive and twist what it means to be an Indian as well, creating thought-provoking conflicts within her own community. The spiritualism of astrology on Nancy’s side contrasting — or complementing, arguably — with the Navajo reverence of ancestry is profound, and is an angle I think Yazzie is uniquely able to provide. 5/10

Acting

Lucid performances keep the action moving even when it has the chance to lose its energy. Lynn Hawley instantly enraptures as Nancy. Her sour platitudes to those below her feel real, and all of her motives indicate that she is clinging to power. She provides depth to what could easily be a shallow foil to Esmeralda — who, speaking of, is powerfully represented by A’naseini Katoa. She makes Esmeralda’s relatively minimal script impact worthwhile with a resolute performance rife with optimism and naiveté. Michael Kevin Darnall was a surprise hit, not because I doubted his magnetic personality, but because of how he was able play a darn good Ronald in the second act despite his age and initial appearance as a comic relief aide for Nancy. Range is range-ing. 8/10

Production

Misha Kachman’s traverse staging gives lots of space for the action, but it is seldom utilized effectively. Props are spaced out and and the acting is static surrounding them, orbiting one chair or table for several lines of dialogue. The most graphically striking elements are on opposite ends of scenic enjoyment as an audience member: entering the black box, you are greeted by the beady hazel eyes of Nancy, which lead into a larger-than-life painting of her that extends into the floor under your feet (after contorting her head 90 degrees at her mouth). It’s a little creepy and I didn’t even know it was her full body until I left and was able to see it from a different angle. On the other end opposing the mural is a huge art piece representing Navajo sand painting, a sacred ritual in healing ceremonies. It’s a gorgeous piece that should have more attention brought to it. Thanks to the energetic projection work by Hailey LaRoe, much of the attention is aimed at the Eyes of Nancy, even during pivotal moments regarding Esmeralda. I gotta admit though, the costuming by Moyenda Kulemeka is great across the board with its stimulating colors and inviting texture, illustrating the cultural gap quite well. 6/10

Viz

Program design was….confusing. A neon “NANCY”, while Esmeralda is framed as the primary character, with an astrology chart and the White House behind them? What’s it about? Are they both Nancy? Keener eyes will notice the astrology chart is mixed with Navajo and radiation motifs, but even then I think it’s too subtle.

While I found the set’s Eyes of Nancy distracting overall, it’s an instantly attention-grabbing piece of set design that’s well-framed by LaRoe’s projections. Curiously, the real highlight is Navi’s sound design — it’s one thing to have 80’s TV and radio ads to establish setting, but it’s another for them to be hyper local ones from the DMV. How do you even get some of those?! 7/10

Verdict

Nancy at Mosaic suffers from shaky writing and production design, but its premise and conflicts are backed up by solid performances to keep things interesting.

26/40