Theater review: ‘I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard’ at Kitchen Dog’s Green Zone

There are two marvelous productions of plays in Dallas about a father who makes a living in the theater, and his relationship with a child who is also in that field. Both fathers are incredibly flawed, leading to spectacularly dysfunctional relationships with the offspring. And, in both, much liquor is consumed.

One of these plays is a much-studied American classic, Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, at Undermain Theatre; the other is a new kid on the scene with the potential for classic status: Halley Feiffer’s I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard, receiving a nervy production by Kitchen Dog Theater, directed by Lee Trull.

In Pray for You, the theatrical lineage is between David (Barry Nash), a New York playwright, and his daughter Ella (Jenny Ledel), an actress who becomes a playwright. That happens because of her father’s own suggestion in the lengthy first scene that teeters unflinchingly between rip-roaring laughter and devastating heartache. It keeps the viewer uncomfortable and unsure of which direction it will go.

Because David has been in theater, and specifically New York theater, for decades, Pray for You is filled with references to theater people as well as plays and musicals. One work that becomes metaphorically important is another canonical giant with a theatrical parent-child relationship: The Seagull, which, like the aforementioned O’Neill work, is about so much more than family decay.

Both David and Ella laugh about her casting in the Chekhov production — and the part that went to a rival actress — in a long, post-show discussion in his apartment in which much wine is conumed. But for Ella, the laughter can quickly turn to doubt and uncertainty, and even cowering fear.

If their relationship makes us squirmy, imagine what it’s been like for Ella.

In a second scene, five years later, Ella has channeled her anger and written, produced and starred in a play. David’s attempt to make amends is one of Pray for You’s gut-wrenching surprises. (Another layer is added with knowledge that Halley Feiffer’s father is screenwriter/cartoonist/playwright Jules Feiffer.)

Nash has imbued David with an eccentric, likeable nastiness in the first act, which makes his final plea more than just the result of karmic recognition; it’s profoundly sad. Ledel is a ball of emotions and mood swings, keeping us guessing through the very end.

Clare Floyd DeVries’ scenic design in the black box that is the Green Zone in the Design District immediately lets us know that there’s more than meets the eye. At center stage is a detailed cube of a room in David’s apartment, complete with ceiling. At stage left is machinery you’d see backstage at a theater.

All of this, as well as the apartment set piece and doors in the building that lead outdoors — not to mention a third character — are smartly used by Trull. It reminds us that you don’t have to be part of a theatrical family to know that life is filled with drama.

And for that, there’s no tech or dress rehearsal.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Theater review: ‘I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard’ at Kitchen Dog’s Green Zone."