A Fixer-Upper of the Soul

Andrew Voss and Jonathan Wainwright in “Broken and Entered”

Windows aren’t the only things shattered in Kurt McGinnis Brown’s Broken and Entered, which received its premiere production at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre this weekend. While the first thing we hear is the splintering of glass and whispers in a dark room, the damage here has a deep history. The burglars at work here are brothers Vern and Wally, who are not your usual sort of thieves, given their haul usually includes things like dishware and other family’s framed snapshots.

The brothers, you see, are giving their childhood home a makeover, and it’s not the kind you might see on HGTV. They—Vern in particular—are looking to erase the memories of a harrowing childhood, one dingy window curtain at time.

It’s a neat metaphor—particularly in a time when real estate and home décor has become such a significant part of American identity. And Brown’s play finds a lot of resonance in its premise. Jamilla, a woman who becomes entwined in the brothers’ remodeling scheme, has a real estate project of her own. Although it’s on a much grander scale.

Broken and Entered is mostly about the way these two enterprises clash, and Brown has a lot to say about the power of past lives, driving us to peculiar (but understandable) obsessions. This play will make you think about retribution and “moving on,” mostly through the somewhat tragic figure of Vern, whose life is so consumed by familial rage that he just can’t seem to look ahead.

MCT has shepherded Brown’s play since 2010, when it was presented as part of its staged reading series for Wisconsin playwrights (he lives in Madison). It’s a satisfying story—even though the dialogue is sometimes too purposeful and bloodless. But it works in the hands of director Susan Fete and three fine actors. As Vern, Jonathan Wainwright lets his family damage show with a jittery relentlessness that drives the action of the play. Andrew Voss (Wally) is the naïf of the family—he’s a bit loopy and slow but cares intensely about his brother. Marti Gobel plays Jamilla with cool, seductive confidence, showing the anger behind her façade only when it counts.

Broken and Entered finds its fire in the final scene, when the intersecting stories lead to a final showdown. It’s an affecting conclusion to a play that will leave you with much to think about.