Rosebud Theatre’s The Miracle Worker is tough, tender

Laureen F. Guenther
Times Contributor

 

The Miracle Worker, which opened in Rosebud Theatre on March 27, is the truth-based story of six-year-old Helen Keller (Jenny Daigle), who became blind, deaf and non-verbal after an illness in infancy. She’s been wildly spoiled by her family ever since and 20-year-old Annie Sullivan (Brynn Linsey) has come to do what she can, if anything can be done, for Helen.
Before I saw the show, I was fairly confident Rosebud Theatre would tell this story well, but I confess to having a small fear. My own family includes a child with a severe disability, and I’ve taught and loved many other children with special needs. So I’m all too familiar with the misconceptions of most people who don’t have loved ones with disabilities. I was worried I’d see the same misunderstandings here.
I’m glad to say I didn’t see them at all! I was touched by the show’s honesty about both the tenderness and toughness of raising a child with special needs. Paul F. Muir and Alysa Glenn – playing Helen’s parents – portray a deep love for her, but don’t pretend that raising her is easy.
Linsey, as Annie Sullivan, emphasizes that she doesn’t love Helen as her parents do – at least not yet. Yet she’s determined to help Helen, and is brutally frank about how hard the job will be.
But I suspect the performances of Muir, Glenn and Linsey wouldn’t matter as much if Daigle couldn’t convince us she is truly deaf and blind. And, remarkably, she does. During the entire two hour show, I marvelled that she never – not once – gave in to the instinct to turn toward someone or something I knew she could hear and see.
After the show, I asked Daigle how she did it. She told me she’d put on a blindfold and ear buds with very loud music, then moved around her house to explore the world with no vision and hearing. She discovered that her world was limited to her memory of what was around her, and what was within the reach of her arms. She could feel it if something hit the wooden floor, but couldn’t tell when someone entered the room.
Then, when she began rehearsals, Daigle had to combine the ability to act as if she sees and hears nothing with detailed attention to everything happening around her. In other words, she learned to be aware of everything, while acting like she’s aware of nothing. I have to say again – she does a remarkable job.
The entire performance is so heartfelt that it seemed the audience took Helen in as our child too. When she has her first small but major victory – eating with a spoon and folding her napkin – we broke out in loud applause.
The Miracle Worker runs at Rosebud Theatre until May 16. Tickets, which include a dinner buffet, can be purchased at 1-800-267-7553 or online (rosebudtheatre.com).