"In a world that is focused so much on isolating us, it's a play about how you can get through life without anybody, but life is better if you have somebody — even if that person makes you crazy," says Ben Raanan, Phamaly’s artistic director and director of the production.
After his sister, Natalie Shoshana Raanan, and his stepmother, Judith Tai Ranaan, were taken hostage by Hamas, he "became obsessed with the idea that people need people," Ranaan says. "As much as people suck and sometimes it's easier to go at it alone, it's not actually possible."
Cost of Living presents the intertwining stories of two pairs: Eddie, an unemployed truck driver, and his ex-wife, Ani, who becomes a quadriplegic after a car accident; and John, a doctoral student with cerebral palsy, and his burned-out caregiver, Jess. Their lives provide the backdrop for a story about the high emotional and financial costs of living in a capitalist economy.
"This play shows that if you have money, you can be taken care of, but if you don’t have money, you have to rely on the government and a system that doesn’t work," says Ann Colby Stocking.
Courtesy of Michael Ensminger Photography
He directed Cost of Living for Renaissance Theaterworks in Milwaukee last January, and two of the participating actors, Valentina Fittipaldi as Jess and Jamie Rizzo as John, are reprising their roles for the upcoming production in Denver.
Around the same time he was working on the play's Milwaukee premiere, Raanan got a call from Curious Theatre's artistic director, Jada Suzanne Dixon, asking if he'd be interested in working on Cost of Living together. Although Curious and Phamaly are both major players in the Denver theater scene and have been around for decades, Raanan says their "divergent artistic goals" have prevented them from collaborating.
"Phamaly is itinerant and Curious Theatre is not wheelchair-accessible at all," he notes. However, Dixon "told me she loved the play and was thinking about what would happen if we found solutions rather than reasons why Curious couldn't do the play." The two companies talked briefly about Cost of Living being a co-production, but ultimately decided that Curious Theatre Company would produce the play featuring Phamaly Theatre Company.
"So some of our actors are in it and a lot of our designers are designing the show," Raanan says. "We're also cross-promoting, so there'll be coupon codes for each other’s shows." For example, Curious is currently promoting Phamaly's upcoming run of Miss Holmes at Northglenn Arts, which runs from Thursday, March 21, through April 7.
The partnership between Curious and Phamaly marks a significant step toward inclusivity and representation in theater, with both companies bringing their unique strengths to the table. Phamaly's expertise in accessibility and Curious's commitment to challenging narratives combine to bring a nuanced production of Cost of Living to the Denver community. But taking a measured approach to the show is particularly important because "it’s a very controversial play in the disabled community," Raanan says.
"Some people love it and some people are asking for more from it," he continues. "What I'm interested in when it comes to this play is that, a lot of the time, disabled characters are used as a tool to promote empathy, but we don't get fully fleshed-out characters. What I love about the disability aspect of this play is that Martyna did a wonderful job making it as fleshed out as possible and feel very slice-of-life."
For Ann Colby Stocking, who plays Ani, the role is deeply personal, echoing her own journey with disability. Unlike her character, she has always been disabled, but a year ago she suffered a serious illness and experienced many of the same situations.
"I don’t have to do a lot to understand the place of need that she is in," Stocking says of Ani. "My character doesn’t have a lot of friends, because she's a bit abrasive and fiercely independent — that’s a way I’m like the character. I don’t want to have to ask anyone for help, but when you are sick, you have to. ... This play shows that if you have money, you can be taken care of, but if you don’t have money, you have to rely on the government and a system that doesn’t work."
Stocking stresses that even though the play showcases two characters with disabilities, "it’s not about disability. Cost of Living is life-affirming, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. It’s about relationships rather than a social treatise on disability."
Isaiah Kelley, who plays opposite Stocking as Eddie, Ani's husband from whom she was separated at the time of the accident, says his character is motivated by an intense desire to rekindle their relationship.
"Couples are going to have some hard conversations about the show on the car ride home; especially for people who are divorced, it will hit them hard," he says. Like Stocking, he doesn't consider Cost of Living a "disability play."
"Even though Ani and Eddie are dealing with that dynamic, I never approached her as my disabled wife: She's my wife," Kelley says. "After twenty years of marriage, things happen. Whether it’s someone getting sick or getting laid off, the hard times will come. This is a difficult time for both of them that they are trying to navigate, and [disability] just happens to be the issue the accident came with, so now she’s learning how to live her life. But that connection and what got them there — all their twenty years of history — remain."
In commemorating its 35th anniversary, Phamaly embraces its partnership with Curious as a pivotal moment in its history. While Raanan believes there will "always be a play for Phamaly," he's been heartened by the way that other theater companies around town have been embracing artists with disabilities and putting in the work to make their spaces more accessible.
"I'd love to see these efforts continue and extend to actors who don't have visible disabilities," Raanan says. "My hope is that we grow Curious’s audience with a bunch of Phamaly folks, and that Curious's audience will come check out our talented actors. Cost of Living is a wonderful production featuring exciting actors that Denver audiences may not be familiar with but are some of the top-notch actors in the United States. I'm just looking forward to bringing this beautiful play to the Denver community because the Denver community deserves this beautiful play."
Cost of Living, opens Saturday, March 16, through Saturday, April 20, Curious Theatre Company, 1080 Acoma Street. Get tickets at curioustheatre.org.
