ACCIDENTALLY BRAVE: Show Review by Robin Gorman Newman
It is nearly impossible, as both a wife and mom, to wrap my head around the shock and betrayal….along with a boatload of other sentiments (and expletives)….that a woman would experience and potentially spew out when her marriage is truly tested due to the unthinkable.
Maddie Corman, who wrote and stars in this solo show, shares with unrelenting candor and heart about a family nightmare that would stop anyone in their tracks. With raw vulnerability and wit, she enacts her story of perseverance and hope, and endeavors to impart words of wisdom gleaned the hard way.
She lets us know from the get go that she is not “ok.” Four year ago, driving to the set of a television show she was featured in, her daughter called screaming that the police have arrived at their home and are confiscating her husband’s computer. TV Director Jace Alexander, Ms. Corman’s husband of 17 years, was found to have been regularly viewing minors performing sexual acts on his computer.
Mr. Alexander winds up entering rehab for over a month and later gets sentenced to 10 years’ probation. While not accused of engaging in the sex acts, he still has to register as a sex offender. This status impacts other aspects of their settled, suburban life…things that one would take for granted…like being able to have Trick or Treaters come to your home at Halloween. Ms. Corman relates how she came to realize and mourn her inability to continue to buy a boatload of pumpkins and put up the usual Halloween decor, due to her husband’s scenario.
Colleagues and friends, including an unnamed celebrity, reach out to offer support, and she endeavored to continue to raise their three children, while practicing fierce self care and visiting her husband at the rehab in Arizona.
Despite it all, Ms. Corman’s love for her husband doesn’t wane, and he returns to their home where they continue to create a new “normal.”
Ms. Corman is an appealing actress whose sense of humor carries her far, and we root for her both on stage and in real life.
This intimate, inspiring performance playing in the intimate DR2 Theatre is directed with sensitivity by Kristin Hanggi.
The design team for Accidentally Brave includes Scene Designer Jo Winiarski , Lighting Designer Jamie Roderick, Sound Designer Bart Fasbender, and Projection Designer Elaine J. McCarthy.
Accidentally Brave, 90 minutes no intermission, is being performed through July 14th.
Tags: accidentally brave, daryl roth, dr2 theatre, husband, maddie corman, marital issues, marriage, mom theatre blogger, off broadway show, raising a family
