Charlie (Jesse James Metz, right) listens as Richard (George Walsh) tries to reason with him.
Playwright Nick Thomas’s powerful Anonymous centers on a weekly meeting of an addiction support group. Skillfully crafted to highlight the strength of community and recovery, Anonymous focuses on diverse characters who speak about their lives while seeking support from their fellow addicts. All the participants have secrets, protecting themselves until powerful disclosures transform an ordinary weekly meeting into something extraordinary.
Michael (Nick Thomas) listens as a member of the group shares. Photographs by spit&vigor.
The meeting’s leader, Richard (George Walsh) finds himself awkwardly substituting for Charlie (Jesse James Metz), who normally runs it and is considered a “rock star” by the group. When the meeting begins, it feels like a class with a substitute teacher—members question Richard’s abilities and quiz him about Charlie’s absence. As the meeting routine changes, new challenges come with it, as well as deeply personal revelations. The group is skeptical but resolves to carry on.
Racked with insecurities, Richard hopes to succeed, offering a series of platitudes to support the others:
“Being here is half the battle.”
“Don’t be afraid of your demons—understand your demons.”
“It’s time to put down the bottle … when you’re only pouring tears.”
He asks who would like to share with the group. One by one, the participants reveal their concerns and aspirations.
Michael (Nick Thomas took the role at the performance I attended, but at other times it’s Adam Belvo) initially gives a perfunctory update—defensive and disengaged. Eventually, his faux confidence collapses as he admits he lives in constant fear of losing everything. “I know I talk a big game, I know I come off all piss and vinegar,” he says. “But it’s fear. I’m fucking scared. I’m scared of what I’m capable of.”
Sarah (Daliah Bernstein) speaks about the temptations of working in a nightclub while valuing the money she earns: “I should be happier. And I am. But there’s also that part of me that says if I didn’t fall off the wagon when I did last time, I’d be almost two years sober.”
Elizabeth (Sara Fellini, who is also the director) recalls wonderful childhood memories and curses the beginning of her drinking. She resolves to “live her life as best she can.”
Diana (Azumi Tautsui) considers sharing her feelings for the first time with the group.
Richard, while sharing, pines for his ex-girlfriend and reveals a crushing loneliness: “These days I feel like I’m drifting. And drifting is not a safe place to be when you’re an addict. I’ve learned that the hard way too many times.”
Arriving late to the meeting is Blake (Steven Gamble), an emergency medical technician who shares his frustrations and helplessness in his job. His anger is coiled and ready to detonate. “But at the very least you see why I’m here,” he says. “What I’m dealing with. The pain. The guilt. And the regret, and the constant question of, ‘Was it my fault?’”
Diana (Asumi Tsutsui) chooses to listen rather than speak. For two years, she has carried unspeakable guilt. Richard comforts her, saying, “I truly believe that listening is just as important as talking. So thank you for being here for the group, and for listening.” When Diana finally finds the courage to speak, Tsutsui displays a stunning intensity.
Sarah (Daliah Bernstein) and Elizabeth (Sara Fellini) share a light moment in Anonymous.
The final test of the group’s cohesion comes with the sudden appearance of the missing leader, Charlie, in a destructive, even dangerous, frame of mind. The group rallies to his aid. His return is another example of how the playwright builds tension until the scene explodes.
Thomas deftly weaves individual stories so that the drama intensifies with each revelation. There are brutal moments when anguish, fear, and guilt are laid bare, and a symmetry emerges in the shared feelings of helplessness. At these moments the group responds with supportive words and actions.
The group mantra promises mutual support, and that promise is fulfilled. They share raw emotions as they strive to live sober and healthy lives. As Diana explains:
I thought I was alone. But I’m not. And even if it’s a different path that brought people to this group, the fact is we’re all here, and we can all help each other.
Director Fellini has placed the audience shoulder to shoulder with the actors in a circle in the Baby Black Box Theater, which gives the production a 1960s vibe. (The theater is appropriately located on the same block as Café Wha?) The walk up three flights of stairs—past improv classes and small rehearsal studios, with the sounds of creativity muted behind closed doors—creates the impression of a place where new beginnings happen, perfectly matching the hope projected in Anonymous.
Spitnvigor’s production of Nick Thomas’s Anonymous runs through Feb. 28 at Tiny Baby Black Box Theater (115 MacDougal St., third floor). Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and additional information, click here.
Playwright: Nick Thomas
Direction & Costume Design: Sara Fellini
