Ugly Lies The Bone

Ugly Lies the Bone, a play by Lindsey Ferrentino, explores the journey of Jess, a veteran who sustained severe burns during her tours in Afghanistan. When she returns home, she has to tussle with the weight of her trauma while confronting her past. Jess commits to several sessions of virtual reality (VR) therapy designed for pain management. A voice from a distant upper room, speaking to Jess via a microphone in a soft, soothing tone, offers her guidance as she navigates her new virtual reality experience, hoping that this fictional reality will provide her with a temporary sanctuary that would allow her to escape her current life of discomfort, while transforming her into a person who could deal with her mental and emotional scars and rebuild her life and relationships. The narrative centers on Jess's difficulties returning home after the trauma of her disfigurement, her perception of how others will accept her, and the changes that have occurred, notably that her former boyfriend is now married. Using her military experience to compartmentalize and protect her emotions, Jess is very antagonistic and doesn't want others, including her loving and caring sister, to show her any empathy. She refuses to even comply with her VR counselor during her sessions, provoking anger and hostilities toward something she feels is a waste of her time. In an effort to appease her counselor, Jess covertly takes a dream board created by her sister, intending to convince the counselor of her progress. When the board is transformed into a stunning virtual reality, Jess finds herself immersed in a world where her struggles feel lighter, and her life begins to flash with newfound possibilities. This play attempted to deal with the seriousness of trauma and the added weight of the emotional psyche of serving in the military, which could provide a powerful understanding of how mental trauma and stress can affect a person and those they love. Unfortunately, it failed to reach its audience.

Christina Gorman, who plays Jess, does a good job of showing the pain and mental anguish of a person fighting her fears of entering a new life, pattered with emotional and physical scars. Still, her journey back to normalcy doesn't look far enough back into her past. This play requires additional dialogue that intricately weaves together the raw emotions and complexities of reconnecting after experiencing the loss of cherished relationships. Share more about the good times Jess had with her sister, the joys she experienced with her former boyfriend, her trepidations about reconnecting with loved ones, and the struggle for reconciliation. The play's brevity, which starts somewhat lethargically, picks up toward the end; however, it skips so much narrative needed to develop the characters that it loses its powerful meaning. Ferrentino effectively touches on the challenges of reconnecting with traumatic experiences faced by individuals dealing with emotional scars. I hope that she will someday provide a more in-depth narrative, bringing the characters to life, as this play has the potential to deliver a powerful punch in helping its audience understand the trauma of reconnecting with others and even with oneself.

⭐⭐ 1/2 STARS

Ugly Lies The Bone

Shattered Globe at Theater Wit

By Lindsey Ferrentino

Directed by Jonathan Berry

October 3-November 15

Thanks for visiting our website. For ticekts, please click the above logo and for additional reviews, click below.