Often, cancer stories follow a similar set of tropes. The patient gains vast amounts of knowledge and insight; they die, but their spirit lives on; and there’s a tooth-rotting dose fluff.
Wit by Margaret Edson defies all these stereotypes. The main character, Dr. Vivian Bearing, starts out with knowledge and insight that is steadily stripped away as her ovarian cancer kills her. Her legacy is as one of the longest-surviving patients of her experimental chemotherapy treatment. There are small moments of fluff, but there’s a dark edge to them.
Goshen College brings this brilliantly-written story to the stage. Lauren Treiber stars as Dr. Bearing. Her performance is powerful and heartbreaking. The rest of the cast- including former Bethany student and Sightline editor Jesse Bontreger (‘13)- expertly matches Treiber’s energy and emotion.
In addition to the excellent performances, the staging of the play brings the script to life. Director Tamera Izlar does interesting things with stage movement that replicate doctors’ and nurses’ movements in a hospital. The actors move from one point to another onstage through unseen hallways. Izlar even recreates the hustle and bustle of a hospital while still keeping Treiber’s character isolated by having actors move back and forth upstage of Treiber.
Goshen College is known for its excellent theatre productions, and Wit is no exception. Because of its mature content and academic themes, the show isn’t for everyone. However, I’d recommend it to anyone who’s up for an intellectually stimulating and emotionally charged hour.
~Rachel A. Schrock