Memory and Mood

The prevailing feeling of the play is love. Throughout the summer of Charley's depression, love keeps the family and friends bound closely together. Regardless of Charley's outbursts (fighting with George) or Bo's revolt against her mother (killing the coyote), the characters love for one another never wavers. Often, when love is the prevailing mood, its development is cheap and shabby. Ackermann conquers this with a realistic portrayal that is emphasized with Adult Bo's memory of her family and friends. Although she lends insights into characters and scenes, at the heart of Adult Bo's desire to recollect this summer is her memory of the love that held everyone together. Without the keen development of love as mood and the touching recollection of Adult Bo's memories, Ackermann's play would have felt like an incomplete melodrama. Instead, it is a remarkable portrayal of a love shared between family and...