A Funny Memory Play at North Coast Repertory Theatre

Some of the best memory plays are shows that are personal for the playwright, while still connecting with an audience. That balance is achieved in North Coast Repertory Theatre’s hilarious and moving production of Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Set in 1973, the O’Shea’s are a lower middle-class Irish-Catholic family ruled by a cranky patriarch, Mike (Tom Dugan), and his wife, Josephine ‘Jo’ O’Shea (Erin Noel Grennan). The events of the story are largely narrated by their older daughter, Linda (Samantha Gorjanc).

Linda is a proud feminist who is planning on moving to Stanford University with her boyfriend. Issues begin when she tells her younger movie-loving sister, Becky (Abbi Hoffpauir), about menstruation and “the birds and the bees.”

Forgette pokes fun and honors elements of memory plays with how she depicts fact and fiction, the use of monologues, and characters breaking the fourth wall. While Linda states that the plot takes liberties with real events, a lot of sequences are authentic because of Forgette’s specific voice.

San Diegans who have been part of an equally tight-knit and dysfunctional familial unit should often laugh at the interactions Linda shares with her parents, sister, and aunt, Theresa “Terri” Carmichael (Shana Wride).

The only jokes that are initially overtly familiar involve the loud demands of Linda’s grandmother who never appears onstage. Her loud communication might remind sitcom fans of the unseen character of “The Big Bang Theory,” Debbie Wolowitz. Fortunately, the dialogue for these situations becomes funnier as the grandmother’s frequent demands increase.

More serious themes arise throughout the evening with discussions focusing on sexism, broken dreams, and how certain religious leaders take advantage of their authority. What is impressive about Forgette’s prose is how she incorporates these weighty messages with laughter and bonding between Linda and the people closest to her.

Director, Jenny Sullivan, creates an intimate atmosphere on Marty Burnett’s period-friendly set, which allows theatregoers to feel like they are visiting the O’Shea home. It is easy to get hooked into the narrative, because of how she mixes realism with theatricality.

Each of the crew members enhances the atmosphere of the piece with Elisa Benzoni’s costumes and song choices before both acts from sound designer, Evan Eason, honoring the 1970’s in ways that complement Sullivan’s storytelling.

Humorous and dramatic moments are handled expertly from the entire cast. Gorjanc, Grennan, Wride, Dugan, and Hoffpauir are fantastic, portraying equally flawed and likable individuals who deeply care about the others.

Sullivan’s production is the kind of terrific family-focused comedy-drama that is perfect for the fall. Her staging will resonate for those who lived through the 70’s as well as younger generations.

Show times are Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m, Thursdays at 7:00 p.m, Fridays at 8:00 p.m, Saturdays at 2:00 p.m and 8:00 p.m, and Sundays at 2:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m.