How is a mother supposed to handle the very real possibility that her daughter is a tennis phenomenon? How does she continue to look after her child and what’s best for her when a very real career in the sport offers so much promise? And how does a coach, in the middle between mother and daughter, do what’s best for the child’s career? These are amongst the questions posed by playwright Amanda Peet in Our Very Own Carlin McCullough. The show is officially opens this week at the Audrey Skirbal Kenis Theatre at the Geffen Playhouse.
Amanda Peet is indeed the actress best known for IFC’s Brockmire, the HBO series Togetherness and such feature films as Something’s Gotta Give and Syriana. Mamie Gummer plays the mother, Cyn. The role of the daughter, Carlin, is played by two actress: Abigail Dylan Harrison (Carlin at age 10) and Caroline Heffernan (at age 17). Tyee Tilgham and Joe Tippett (Rise) round out the cast. Tyne Rafaeli, who recently directed Ironbound at the Geffen, returns as director here.
Photo by Chris Whitaker