Identity crosses stage lines in comedy that investigates mother-daughter skirmishes

At the start of "Well," everything -- according to Lisa (the central character) -- is cut and dried and under control. She even has her 3-by-5 index cards in hand to ensure against slip-ups.

But Lisa (the playwright) realizes the essence of drama is surprise. And, as we all know, the playwright has the final word. So "Well" turns into carefully choreographed comic chaos. Lisa (the character) is all consternation. For Lisa (the playwright), however, "Well" has been a conspicuous triumph ever since it premiered in New York in 2004.

Productions in San Francisco and Boston have been similarly well received. Starting tonight, Seattle gets it own version of "Well" -- a ReAct Theatre production at Richard Hugo House.

Lisa Kron, whose specialty is solo pieces, has called "Well" a "solo show with other people in it." Seattle audiences may remember Kron performing her "2.5 Minute Ride" at ACT Theatre in 2000. It focused on her father. Her brother also appeared briefly. The most important of the "other people" in "Well" is Ann, Kron's mother. Reviewers say Mom tends to steal the show, much to the chagrin of Lisa (the character).

In other productions, Kron appeared in the role of Lisa. At Hugo House, ReAct regular Roberta Furst is playing the part.

In past shows, Furst has portrayed troublesome mothers: in "Kimberley Akimbo" in 2005 and in "BFE" in February. This time around she gets to be the troublesome daughter.

"I'm not saying that 'Well' is essentially a chick show," Furst said in a recent interview. "But I think mothers and daughters who come to see it together will get a special kick out of it."

According to Lisa (the character), "Well" is supposed to be a "theatrical exploration" of fraught personal experiences. Hired actors are supposed to enact strictly delimited parts to help clarify the experiences Lisa is exploring.

The "mother" character is the first to rebel. An inveterate people person, Mom offers snacks to the audience and to her fellow actors. Then she repeatedly interrupts Lisa, setting her straight on details. Ann's recollections of certain events vary greatly from Lisa's.

Eventually the backup actors, too, become unruly. One guy, particularly exasperated, says the show is "some kind of f***ed-up downtown bull****." Lisa observes: "This avant-garde metatheatrical thing can bite you in the ass."

The backup actors' job is to bring life to scenes from phases of Lisa's childhood. Integration, racial and emotional, are important themes.

One of Ann's missions in life was keeping the family's East Lansing, Mich., neighborhood from turning into a slum ghetto. Ann fought panic selling and white flight. She organized community-building events.

Lisa, as a Caucasian, was distinctly a minority in her elementary school, a fact that was brought home to her with maximum mortification by Lori, a sassy black classmate who had a chip on her shoulder.

In addition to integration, allergies (yes, allergies, literal and metaphorical) are an important theme in "Well." Ann is housebound and nearly La-Z-Boy-bound by what she has self-diagnosed as allergies. At 19, Lisa dropped out of college for inpatient allergy treatment. She gets better. She thinks if her mother really wanted to, she also could get better.

"I've done a certain amount of research on allergies and I mean to do more," Furst said.

As for integration and assimilation, Furst is already something of an expert in that field. She works in human resources for Neighborhood House, an agency that works with immigrants.

"We have a staff of 190 that speak, all told, 43 languages," she said. "The agency has been around since 1906. The work covers everything from English as a second language and housing to school readiness for very young children and job training for adults.

"Originally the clients, I think, were mostly from Eastern Europe. Now we're working with a lot of people from Russia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hispanic countries."

Though Furst studied drama at the University of Washington, she spends most of her time outside the world of theater. Her fiancé is a "Sylvester Stallone, red-blooded kind of guy."

Her co-workers, of course, see her as "an HR person, which means the most politically correct of the politically correct."

Furst likes to have her colleagues come to see shows she's in.

"But I had to warn them about the bad language I'd be using in 'Kimberley Akimbo.' " she said. "I mean me! HR Roberta!

"But I think 'Well' is a good time for just about anyone. My fiancé is not what you'd call a theater kind of guy. But 'Well' is a comedy. I think he'll enjoy it. It has a pleasant ending. Nearly everyone likes a comedy with a pleasant ending."