Lettie is a young woman in her early 30’s who has recently been released from prison after serving seven years for using and dealing drugs. She lives in a halfway house and plans to find work as a welder after she completes an internship. She is also hoping to reunite with her children who are teenagers.
River, now 17, and Layla, now 14, have been raised by Lettie’s half-sister, Carla and Carla’s husband, Frank. They have raised the children as their own in a very structured, traditional Christian household.
The play, written by Boo Killebrew quickly escalates into a series of conflicts between the different characters and within the characters themselves. Will Lettie stay clean or backslide into the addiction that plagued her since childhood? Will she succeed in completing the internship that can eventually provide her with work and a steady income? Will she be welcomed into Carla and Frank’s life with her children as she seeks to regain custody? And will the children even want a relationship with their mother?
Added to the mix is Minny, a “sister” parolee and intern who was incarcerated for twenty years after murdering her husband. Her repeated attempts to mentor Lettie often lead to frustration and dissension. But eventually they bond and play a meaningful role in each other’s lives.
Lettie’s dream of reclaiming her children and building a life quickly dissolves as reality sets in. River is angry and rejects the possibility of having any kind of relationship with his mother. He is old enough to remember being abandoned by a mother whose addiction superseded attending to his basic needs.
At first, Layla is more forgiving and open to a connection with Lettie. She visits her secretly and shares her dreams with her mother. However, in time, her eagerness subsides as she witnesses her mother’s lack of coping skills as she struggles and greets failure with bitterness and rage. One minute we are on her side- the next, we are not so sure.
There is a fragility in each character as they wrestle with their own demons and the curveballs thrown at them by the others. Killebrew has woven a complex tapestry that draws us in and keeps us engaged as the play flows seamlessly from one scene to the next. The perfectly designed set helps facilitate that flow.
Will there be a happy ending? Will they find their dreams? That will be for you to decide.
“Lettie” by Boo Killebrew at People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, PA 19355, 610-644-3500, peopleslight.org Thru July 13, 2023
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 