How Is It That We Live or Shakey Jake + Alice

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Consider, if you will, a stormy night under a bridge, above which is a busy highway, a teenage couple contemplating their lives as they graduate from high school, and a mysterious man who seems to know the couple and the life paths they are to lead. The teenager’s conversation takes a decidedly different turn after the man disappears into the rainstorm and mist at the side of the river.

How Is It That We Live or Shakey Jake + Alice by Len Jenkin is a story in three short acts following the lives of two people whose love carries on as they move in and out of each other’s lives. As directed by The Tent Theatre Company’s co-artistic director Aimée Hayes, the play explores the sometimes subtle things that often bind two lives together.

In reading the script, I didn’t see how the story made any sense or could have been given a reasonable life on stage. I was very wrong on both scores. The four actors of the ensemble breathe life into each of the characters, creating a compelling narrative even given the minimalist sets used. Director Hayes did a superb job blending reality with the fantastic, delivering a compelling story of love found, lost, and found again.

The first act is established by two unnamed narrators dressed as buskers in jackets similar to the Cockneys of Britain, with buttons and spangles—perfect costumes for the spirits that narrate. These narrators are effectively embodied by Jason Bowen and Delfin Gökhan Meehan, who play other characters throughout the play.

Bowen solidly embodies Clarence Nightengale in Act 1 and then a pivotal character, Sweet Lucy in Act 2. Gökhan Meehan plays an unseen character, Evangeline, in Act 1 and gives clear definition to other characters as well, Snake-Hips in Act 2, who is a companion to Clarence Nightengale, and Little Sister, a critical element in the final act.

As lightning flashes and thunder crashes, Jake (Fred Weller) and Alice (Kate Arrington) are under a highway bridge next to a river. Alice is dancing in the rain while Jake tries to get her to stop. Their exchange is the light-hearted, quasi-serious banter of teenagers in love and about to embark on the rigors of early adulthood, Alice to Harvard and Jake to wherever the wind blows him.

JAKE: Alice, you’re getting soaked

ALICE: I’m not made of sugar, Jakey

JAKE: Your mom’s gonna ask me how

I let you get caught out in a fucking thunderstorm

ALICE: I won’t melt away

JAKE: Lightning’s gonna fry you

ALICE: I love it

Arrington and Weller are solid as Alice and Jake from the standpoint of their performances but not how they are presented. The three-time periods depicted have them as teenagers, middle thirty-year-olds, and in their late 60s or early 70s. While Arrington fits two of the age categories, her appearance in the final Act does not translate to that of an older woman. Although the narrators refer to her grey hair, she has none. A grey wig would make all the difference. Weller’s actions in the first Act give a strong impression of a teenager while looking somewhat older, but his performances in the other two acts are solid for the ages represented.

While Act 1 establishes the main reality characters and introduces one of the fantastical elements to the story, Act 2 provides the unmistakable fantastical nature of the story by skillfully blending the post-high school lives of Jake and Alice, with the otherworldly elements of Sweet Lucy (formerly Clarence Nightengale), and Snake Hips, the reincarnation of the unseen Evangeline of Act 1.

In Act 2, Jake returns to his hometown after 15 years of adventures, both positive and negative. The narrator’s words are beautifully woven with the actions of Jake and Alice, loosely defining who they are now and where they may be headed. This sequence not only establishes Jake’s and Alice’s state of mind but also provides the story of their lives since they last interacted. It marks an important emotional reconnection between Jake and Alice.

In this emotionally charged moment, magical realism reappears when Sweet Lucy enters with his companion, Snake Hips. Once again, the connection with these spirits from an earlier time becomes evident. The encounter is important in the story arc because it leads to the introduction of a new character who will have a pivotal role in Act 3.

SWEET LUCY:

It’s educational

Keep looking back over your shoulder

you spot Little Sister Death coming up behind you

Maybe you slip aside and let her pass on by

Act 3 opens with Jake and Alice in their late 60s or early 70s. The reconnection of their 30s was when they rediscovered the love they had as teenagers and how it brought them to this moment. The dialogue fills in more detail about their lives and their feelings for each other. In this act, Little Sister appears to add the final touch of the fantastical to this story of a love that was long and deep. It is a story beautifully told by a skillful ensemble. It is a story to be experienced and savored.

The scenic design by Alexander Woodward is minimal but effective in telling the tale. Clare Lippincott’s costume design solidly defines the characters as the action moves from scene to scene. Mary Louise Geiger and John Kilgore’s lighting and sound design are critical elements in a small venue and strongly support the ensemble’s performances.

How Is It That We Live or Shakey Jake + Alice (through February 22, 2025)

The Tent Theater Company

Jeffrey And Paula Gural Theatre at The A.R.T./New York Theatres, 502 West 53^rd in Manhattan.

For tickets, visit http://www.thetenttheater.com

Running time: 95 minutes without an intermission