THE ROOT OF CHAOS
On the side of deepness, there’s plenty of cynicism. And there’s some biting criticism of the American family. There’s also a nicely played moral lesson about letting fear kill our spirits.
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Playwright Douglas Soderberg has created an absurd alter reality, but he’s not just spoofing the everyday. The Cernikowski family is as flat and familiar as anything on a sitcom, but their story never gets as smug as the usual TV-derived satire. These characters–the exasperated Wilma, the nebbish son, the pheromone-mad daughter, and the father in constant denial–are remarkably frail. They banter and poke at each other–and at us–but their smirks never quite cover the pain. They’re scared out of their wits that the world will fail them. Even as they strike their clever poses, they’re terrified of getting hurt, and of being alone.
These two are so used to their roles that they have no way out of them, no way to grow beyond them. But Doublemint and Skeeter, her nine-year-old brother, change dramatically during The Root of Chaos. Doublemint, who seems both selfish and reckless at first, becomes nurturing and much too aware of her own mortality by the end. Skeeter, whom Joe claims to be protecting with his denial, reveals a wisdom that exceeds his youth.
