Sarah (Zoe Glick, center) is surrounded by schoolmates Amy (Margot Weintraub), Ally (Elizabeth Curtis) and Abby (Charlotte MacLeod) in The Bedwetter.
Six months ago the Atlantic Theater presented Kimberly Akimbo, the musical tale of a 15-year-old girl whose young mind is trapped in a quickly aging body. Now, with the premier of The Bedwetter, it offers up the story of Sarah (Zoe Glick), a 10-year-old girl with a troubled, adult mind trapped in a child’s body that is always letting her down. And though Kimberly is headed toward an early death while Sarah advances toward certain fame, it is the latter character who wants our sympathy. She struggles, however, to fully earn it. In this uneven production, as director Anne Kauffman has discovered, a depressed kid with a foul mouth makes for a problematic protagonist.
Sarah (Glick) with her father, a television huckster also known as “Crazy Donny” (Darren Goldstein).
Sarah, of course, is the comedian Sarah Silverman, and The Bedwetter is based on her 2010 memoir of growing up in New Hampshire during the 1980s. In adapting it, along with co-writer Joshua Harmon and the late composer and co-lyricist Adam Schlesinger, she has created something of a choose-your-own-adventure musical. There are a dozen other characters and multiple storylines to focus upon, for those who would prefer their evenings pee-free. And while a large handful of scenes strike the right emotional chord, others waver between being too disturbing or not quite disturbing enough.
The root cause of Sarah’s leaky bladder may have something to do with her poor self-image, as highlighted in a questionable early number performed along with her disapproving schoolmates, “I Couldn’t Agree More:”
Ally: Your arms are so hairy!
Sarah: I couldn’t agree more! You should see my back!
Abby: Your teeth are enormous!
Sarah: I couldn’t agree more! To keep them this yellow takes extra plaque!
Girls: You’re short and dark and strange and eww-y!
Sarah: I know what you mean! I’m totally Jew-y!
Even more worrisome for Sarah is the divorce her parents have gone through. Donald (Darren Goldstein), a.k.a. Crazy Donny, is a womanizing, discount-clothing huckster who enjoys sharing jokes with his daughter but is otherwise at a loss when it comes to parenting. Beth Ann (Caissie Levy) is still reeling from the death of their infant son, who died before Sarah was born. She spends her days in bed watching old movies. Also in the mix are Sarah’s cocktail-loving Nana (Bebe Neuwirth), who is primarily concerned with where her next Manhattan is coming from, and Sarah’s older sister, Laura (Emily Zimmerman), the non-problem child who gets little of the attention.
Outside influences include Sarah’s gruff teacher, Mrs. Dembo (Ellyn Marie Marsh); a hypnotist and a Xanax-pushing doctor—both hilariously played by Rick Crom; Miss New Hampshire (Ashley Blanchet), whom Sarah sees as a role model despite not clinching the Miss America crown (her sage advice to Sarah: “Definitely don’t do any girl-on-girl photo shoots. They always come back to haunt you”); and a trio of judgmental schoolmate frenemies (Charlotte Elizabeth Curtis, Charlotte MacLeod and Margot Weintraub).
Beth Ann (Caissie Levy, left) bonds with elder daughter, Laura (Emily Zimmerman). Photographs by Ahron R. Foster.
Silverman’s gift as a professional comic is to be simultaneously coy and shocking, childish and wise. But this preteen Sarah is still a diamond in the rough. Fart jokes are her specialty, and when she goes dark she goes too dark, with references to that brother she never knew. It’s the grown-ups here who earn the truly wicked laughs. Nana’s song “To Me,” shows off Neuwirth’s comic gifts in a tune which emphasizes that Sarah is a girl only her family could appreciate (“Your arms work, your legs work, what could be wrong?”). And in the evening’s highest moment of tension, the audience has several seconds to wonder if Donald is really going to sing a song to the schoolmates about how he has slept with each of their mothers. He seemingly does so, then we realize he is only singing to himself. The ditty is pure gold ridiculousness (“Looking at the numbers the result I’ve seen is / Twelve percent of customers enjoy my penis.”)
More traditional moments of success include a gossipy number called “I Heard” sung and danced by the schoolmates with Bye Bye Birdie energy, and two ballads delivered by Beth Ann with sorrowful Next to Normal vibes. Levy’s lovely, buttery tone elevates the proceedings and offers soothing counterpoint to Glick’s more nasal singing voice and Goldstein’s warbling. Costumer Kaye Voyce, meanwhile, has surprisingly few stains to worry about, and scenic designer Laura Jellinek finds a way to stage multiple houses, doctor’s offices and classrooms with minimal fuss and period wallpaper.
The Bedwetter runs at the Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater (336 W. 20th St.) through July 3. Evening performances are at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and 8 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; matinees are at 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. For tickets and information, call 646-989-7996 or visit https://atlantictheater.org/production/the-bedwetter/.
