Homebody/Kabul

Dee Covington as The Homebody Photo: Michael Ensminger

In what joins the ranks of the greatest soliloquies of all time, we are introduced to the ancient and fabled city of Kabul by The Homebody (Dee Covington), an eccentric English bibliophile with a vocabulary perfectly suited to circumscribe the confluence of cultures that have left their mark at this Asian crossroad.

If the play had ended after Covington's astonishing performance, which mines playwright Tony Kushner's mother lode of precious historic and linguistic gems, it would have been a magnificently satisfying evening; yet, the 22-page reverie is only the prequel to a story of present-day Kabul, in all its impoverished and war-torn decrepitude, and the U.S. only the latest in a long line of imperialist invaders seeking to capture and hold this once-verdant narrow river valley in the glorious Hindu Kush mountains.

Erik Sandvold as Milton Ceiling Photo: Michael Ensminger

The Homebody's husband, Milton Ceiling (Erik Sandvold), and daughter, Priscilla Ceiling (Jessica Robblee), have travelled here in search of her, only to be left in limbo, wondering which tale to believe: that she has been brutally tortured and murdered by the Taliban; or, that she has chosen to marry a local who is eager to send his former wife to England in a swap that makes perfect karmic sense, as either a clever terrorist infiltration, or as a bizarre twist of marital matchmaking.

Jessica Robblee as Priscilla Ceiling and Jonathan Raviv as Khwaja Aziz Mondanabosh Photo: Michael Ensminger

Milton and Priscilla each undergo a series of trying encounters with colorful characters that Kushner has distilled from the peculiar melting pot that is Kabul: Quango Twistleton (Michael Morgan), a jaded British diplomatic liaison; Khwaja Aziz Mondanabosh (Jonathan Raviv), a local guide and possible operative for the resistance; Mahala (Karen Slack), an educated and volatile outlier, supposedly the wife of the local who claims to have married The Homebody, but quite possibly connected with the local resistance; plus a medical doctor (Augustus Truhn), a mullah (Mueen Jahan), and a couple of gunmen (Truhn and Jahan).

Mueen Jahan as Mullah Aftar Ali Durranni and Michael Morgan as Quango Twistleton Photo: Michael Ensminger

The result is a gritty and frightening slice of daily life in a military and religious war zone, amplified by the Ceilings' unique transformations—Sandvold's Milton, from an emotionally remote bystander to a medicated yet heartbroken participant, and Robblee's Priscilla, from a rebellious mess to an engaged and self-sacrificing activist.

Director Chip Walton and his talented designers, including Charles Packard's amazing set, Shannon McKinney's spectacular lighting, Kevin Brainerd's captivating costumes, and Brian Freeland's atmospheric sound design, plus the verisimilitude contributed by Afghanistan consultant Mohammad Matten, make for a memorable evening.

Karen Slack as Mahala Photo: Michael Ensminger

Kushner's open-ended question regarding the fate of Afghanistan (and, by extension, everywhere the western powers have chosen to seize geo-political control) remains just that— unanswered, without any exploration, in either Homebody or Kabul, of the dark financial forces at work behind the scenes, with redemption limited to personal discoveries and interpersonal reconciliations. Such is our consolation until a greater awakening is stirred.

Curious Theatre Company's Homebody/Kabul runs through April 23rd at Curious Theatre. 303-623-0524, curioustheatre.org, or at the Curious Theatre Company box office at 1080 Acoma in Denver.

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