Playwright Lila Rose Kaplan’s bittersweet “We All Fall Down” gets regional premiere at The New Jewish Theatre

The Stein family has gathered to celebrate the Passover Seder for the first time. Linda, the controlling family matriarch, insisted that all the members of her family gather for the traditional celebration that has been anything but a tradition for their non-practicing secular family. In Lila Rose Kaplan’s dramatic comedy “We All Fall Down” Linda, her husband Saul, and their two adult daughters, Sammi and Ariel, gather around the Seder table with baggage in tow. Each of the Steins have a secret, the biggest of which is why Linda felt compelled to host a Passover Seder after a lifetime of shirking her Jewish faith.

The regional premiere of Kaplan’s new play “We All Fall Down” opened this week at The New Jewish Theatre. Directed by Rebekah Scallet, “We All Fall Down” is a funny, loving, and bittersweet tale of familial relationships and the lengths family members take to protect one another. On the surface, it is a comedy about a dysfunctional family gathering, but what Scallet found in Kaplan’s script was a poignant and touching tale told through the lens of the characters’ flaws. Scallet has collaborated with her troupe of actors to create a realistic portrait of a family without allowing their performances to fall into campy caricatures.

It is a joy to watch actor Mindy Shaw disappear into a role. A relative newcomer to the St. Louis acting community, Shaw delivers a phenomenal performance as the controlling and manipulative mother Linda. Her verbal barbs are razor sharp and cutting. Her Linda is acerbically funny and direct. The character does not show any real compassion until she reveals why celebrating the Passover Seder was urgent and important to her. In that moment Shaw breaks hearts with her tender pathos filled performance. Shaw is a magnificent actor and her stunning turn as Linda is biting, caustic, humorous, loving, and caring all at the same time.

Alan Knoll, Bridgette Bassa, and Hailey Medrano are all convincingly compelling in their roles as Linda’s husband and daughters. Knoll’s character Saul carries a heavy emotional weight throughout the show, often expressing frustration and anger. His rants are controlled, measured, and believable. His restrained performance induces empathy for his character who is facing sudden life changes. Bassa and Medrano are perfect as the put upon adult children of a controlling mother and a doting father. Their work with Shaw is terrific and generates laughter as each tries to carve out their identity as an adult despite the pressures from their overbearing mother.

The cast is rounded out with wonderful performances from Bethany Barr, Jenni Ryan and Taijha Silas as the other dinner guests invited to the family’s Passover celebration. All three women deliver hilarious, spot-on performances. Barr is a ditzy delight as the family’s former neighbor with paper thin skin and easily hurt feelings. Ryan is a caustic hoot as the sister-in-law who will stop at nothing to avoid celebrating the Seder. Silas shines brightly when singing The Four Questions, creating a touching moment with Alan Knoll. It's her optimism as a recent convert that relieves the tension among the family, allowing their love for one another to prevail.

Andrea Ball’s fetching set design creates a warm interior of a family home filled with memories in family pictures adorning the staircase of the Stein’s residence. Scallet swiftly moves the action between the two-levels of the exposed wall home, including an interior guest bathroom on the main floor where much of the humorous tension is created. Lighting designer Michael Sullivan and sound designer Ellie Schwetye collaborated to enhance Ball’s palette for storytelling. Michele Freidman Siler’s quirky costume designs for Linda enhance the character’s eccentricity.

“We All Fall Down” is an entertaining and bittersweet comedy about dysfunctional, but relatable family members. Mindy Shaw’s dynamic performance as the overbearing matriarch gives the show both its humor and its poignancy. “We All Fall Down” continues its run at The New Jewish Theatre through June 16, 2024.