Pinky Swear’s Unclear Family: Smudge

This rather stylized play explores the emotional tailspin of new parents after the birth of a hideously deformed, special needs baby and is like tough love – hard to take at the time but you’re better off for the experience.  The impact lingers long after the production is over.

The play starts with new expectant parents flush with adorable anticipation, as they look at the ultrasound film, pondering about the baby’s gender, grinning gleefully at the prospect of being parents.  What arrives is a horribly misshaped (never seen) newborn connected to so many tubes that its cries are replaced by the ever-present beep of a heart monitor.  The creative execution of designing a bassinet from hell is the exquisite work of set designer Maureen Boman and lighting by Chris Holland, as well as sound by Brandon Roe—their combined efforts enhance the story by signaling ominous moments with spine chilling Rosemary’s Baby type shudders.

Melissa Hmelnicky as Mom-to-be Colby and Brandon Cater as Dad Nicholas go through a kaleidoscope of refracted emotions dealing with and adjusting to their silent, newborn who is lacking limbs and has one almost Cyclops-like large functioning eye.  In severe post-partum denial, Colby refuses to even look at the baby, referring to her as the creature and “it,” while Nick coos and calls her a little Princess and Daddy’s Little Girl, while taking charge of exercising her muscles as much as possible. The juxtaposition of these two reactions is startling to witness, and the relationships change over time as work pressures begin to take their toll on Nick, and Colby actually starts to feel glimmers of maternal caring instincts for the non-human looking newborn.

Shane Solo provides much needed comic relief as Pete, Nick’s well intentioned though loony-tunes brother, who delivers quips in a drawling rapid fire manner. On one hand, he can knockout jokes and scatter-brained observations like a stand-up comic on steroids, while on the other, he’s solidly in charge of a statistical firm subcontracting with the Census to gather regional demographic data.  Yes, it’s a conundrum, but so is this loose cannon of a character. Pete is the link to the family, delivering messages from their mother, and finally pushing past his brother to see what the baby looks like since no pictures were forthcoming. With Colby in such an emotional vulnerable state, Pete’s role in the play takes on more heft than we expect and pitches the play in even stranger territory.

Pinky Swear Productions is a relatively new company. Smudge is the third of three full length plays for Pinky Swear and plays in reportory with two one acts, Benched by Allyson Currin and Bleed by Renee Calarco.

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Smudge . Written by Rachel Axler . Directed by Ryan Maxwell . Produced by Pinky Swear Productions . Reviewed by Debbie Jackson