I Am A Tree

Dulcy Rogers’ “unstable new comedy,” I Am A Tree, opened this week at the Theatre at St. Clements. A polished one-woman show about confronting a family history of mental illness, I Am A Tree is a recent transplant from Los Angeles. The practice shows – everything is deliberate and well-rehearsed, from the formulaic script to Rogers’ fluidity changing between distinct characters.

Dramaturgically, I Am A Tree is a fairy-tale: the protagonist visits three wise old women who help her on her quest before finally confronting the object of that quest. That object brings it out of the realm of Grimm or Andersen and into the realm of today: confronting a family history of mental illness.

It played well, for me, until the end. Once I’d figured out the formula, I knew what was going to happen next and how it was going to end. The mystery gone, my thoughts started to drift. I noticed Rogers’ performing tick (every actor has one – mine’s playing with my jean pockets, hers is shifting weight from foot to foot.), and before long I was hypnotized and ready to go home.

Intriguing until you figure out how it’s going to end,  I Am A Tree is worth a look if you’re interested in one-person shows or storytelling, but if not, your forty bucks would probably be better spent elsewhere.

I Am A Tree is playing at the Theatre at St. Clements until June 30^th.