When a major life-altering event takes place, how does one move forward?
That’s one of the questions the characters in “The Tin Woman” grapple with after the unexpected death of a young man, who is an organ donor.
“It’s thought provoking, but not in the way where it’s medicine and not in a way where it’s dark and broody,” Director Sean Hargadon said. “It has those elements, but it’s also quite funny too. There’s a lot of humor weaved through it.”
After postponing the production two years ago due to COVID-19, Elgin Theatre Company is staging Sean Grennan’s dramedy “The Tin Woman” May 13-29 at Elgin Art Showcase in Elgin. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays. Sunday performances will be sign acted for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Masks are required of all audience members. Proof of vaccination or a 72-hour negative COVID-19 test must be shown.
Based on a true story, the play opens with Joy, a recent heart transplant recipient, struggling to make sense of the gift she received and her new life.
“You’re not sure how she’s going to take to it, and how it’s going to take to her,” Hargadon said.
The audience also meets the family of 30-something Jack, who left behind his parents, Hank and Alice, and younger sister, Sammy. Joy is the recipient of Jack’s heart.
“Some people manage that better than others. So Hank is really struggling with that. And Alice is trying to take the good where she can and move forward,” Hargadon said. “And Sammy is just really a breath of energy and fresh air in the room.”
The two stories eventually come together when Joy decides she wants to meet her donor’s family.
“We’re not exactly sure why, maybe to make some kind of connection,” Hargadon said. “And Hank wants nothing to do with any of that. He’s not handling his grief very well.”
Throughout the play, Jack is present to observe what is going on.
“The whole time Jack is around,” Hargadon said. “He’s not alive, but he’s around.”
Written in 2014, the playwright Grennan does a good job of writing believable characters that go through different challenges but uses humor along the way, he said.
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“It makes you want to be really grateful for what you have. He does a really good job of that,” Hargadon said. “That’s what he’s known for, I think. He gives you the feels, he gives you the funny. And at the end, I think, for me, provides a lot of perspective on appreciating what we have and as they say, holding your loved ones close.”
The play in two acts is staged in the round, with audience members seated on all four sides of the stage.
“It brings a different level of intimacy, closeness, experience o the whole thing,” Hargadon said. “So the actor can be truthful and really honest. That makes the drama pop more and the pop more, because they’re right there.”
As the cast rehearsed the play, the actors were able to draw some parallels between what the characters are experiencing and what the world is currently experiencing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
“It’s still around, but now the freedoms we have now that we didn’t have before because we were trying to be careful, it’s amazing,” Hargadon said. “But what do you do when you have that? Do you embrace it, or are you still trapped by how you felt before?”
Using humor along the way, Grennan let’s the audience enjoy the story while empathizing with the characters as they navigate grief and other strong emotions.
“He talks about heavy stuff in a way that’s really well done,” Hargadon said. “It’s going to make you want to hug your family at the end of the show. It definitely will make you want to do that. And appreciate that they’re there.”
‘The Tin Woman’
When: May 13-29
Where: Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., 8th Floor, Elgin
Tickets: $20 adults; $18 students and seniors (65+)
Information: 847-741-0532; elgin-theatre.org
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.