PAC’s Mr. Marmalade opens in Bartlett theatre

How many four-year-olds do you know with a cocaine addicted bipolar imaginary friend? Not many. Mr. Marmalade explores the frenzied and dark mind of Lucy, a four year old living with her single parent mother. The show which is being done by the Performing Arts Company (PAC) opened on March 31 and continued through April 2.

 Mr. Marmalade opens with Lucy, played by sophomore acting major Madison Osgood, playing in front of the couch with her coloring books and toys as her mother leaves for work.

In walked Mr. Marmalade, a seemingly typical imaginary friend. Kind and caring, Marmalade, played by Nicholas Gerwitz, promises to take Lucy on a trip to Mexico after she asks the very adult question, "Why don't you touch me anymore?" This was followed by gasps and nervous, awkward laughter from the audience members. He explains that he has been busy at work and promises brunch on his way out of the door.

The babysitter Emily, played by Kimberly Abrams, soon arrives and starts asking Lucy some questions about Mr. Marmalade. "Does he love you?" she asks. As Lucy explains that he is just so busy at work, the ever present adult undertone shines through. It is clear from the beginning that no one makes time for Lucy, not her mother or the babysitter and especially not Mr. Marmalade.

After the babysitter has a pretend tea party with Lucy the doorbell rings, she had invited her boyfriend George over. George, played by Jake Bradley, walks in with his five year old brother Larry who is played by Andrew Albigese. Larry is an introvert and is mentally and physically abused by George.

 After Emily and Gorge leave the room to "study," Lucy asks Larry what the band-aids on his wrists are for. Larry boasts to Lucy about being the youngest person to try to commit suicide in New Jersey. Lucy decides that she and Larry should play "doctor," a game that she also plays with Mr. Marmalade. Declaring that Larry is the patient and she is the doctor, she first instructs him to take off his shirt and then his pants to inspect him.

When Mr. Marmalade's assistant Bradley shows up, played by Jacob Kahn, he sees her and Larry playing doctor. Lucy then tells Larry to leave. When she turns to Bradley to plead with him not to tell Mr. Marmalade he promises that he will not so that they both can avoid getting in trouble.

Before Bradley leaves, Lucy quietly asks him if everything is all right to which he replies "yes", though it is evident that he has been physically abused. Lucy threatens to call the police while Bradley makes her promise not to tell a soul that Mr. Marmalade abuses him.

Emily and Gorge return to find Larry gone, George then proceeds to yell at Emily and call her vulgar names as he exits. Emily takes her bag and exits not too long after.

Larry returns for a "fancy" dinner with Lucy, where he has stolen the food from 7/11. They are enjoying themselves when Lucy exclaims that she is pregnant and Larry worries whether the idea of them bringing a child into the world was a good one. Things become worse when Larry's imaginary friends show up. These two, played by Lisa Michaels and Elena Box, eat all of the food and disrupt Larry and Lucy's dinner causing Lucy to throw them all out.

Once they leave, Lucy starts to cry and Mr. Marmalade shows up explaining that he went to rehab and wants to help her clean up the mess that Larry's imaginary friends made. Lucy quickly takes Mr. Marmalade back as he expresses his desire for a family and kids. The next scene begins with a drunk and verbally abusive Mr. Marmalade sitting on the couch watching TV telling Lucy to "shut that god damn baby up." Lucy does so but only for a moment when Mr. Marmalade threatens to leave. She begs and pleads with him to stay, telling him that she will shut the baby up forever.

In the most chilling and disturbing scene in the play, Lucy smothers the baby. Mr. Marmalade instructs Bradley to pack their things and they leave.

Lucy's mother stumbles in drunk with a man and notices that Lucy is wearing her slip and that it has ketchup stains on it. She yells at Lucy that the stain had better come out or she is going to be in trouble before she stumbles up to her room to the man.

The play ends with Mr. Marmalade killing himself and leaving a note to Bradley for Lucy, which Lucy tries to burn. Larry shows up at her door asking to play kickball, as she agrees he tells her that he tried to hang himself but his brother found him, took him down and proceeded to beat him up.

Lucy tells Bradley he can stay for as long as he would like. The idea that Lucy escapes the struggles of her life by playing kickball with a friend leaves the audience with a little glimmer of hope for the troubled, imaginative Lucy.