Have you ever been in a situation where others make decisions that affect you directly and you are powerless to do anything about it?

The Rogue Machine's West Coast premiere of "Four Places" by Joel Drake Johnson manages to push exactly those buttons in unexpected ways. The audience reaction is visceral. Sometimes discrete tears may sneak out - quite often laughter explodes uncomfortably, but more often people squirm nervously as the actors fling emotions and feelings right "in your face" presenting situations that none of us want to confront and most of us want to pretend will never happen.

It's the age old dilemma of what to do with aging parents. True or not, we've all heard stories that the Eskimo natives place their elders on a slab of ice and let them float out to sea as their end of life nears.

Lisa Rothschiller - Roxanne Hart - Ann Gee Byrd - Tim Bagley

Wouldn't THAT be an easy out for us? But we take a more "civilized" route, as did siblings Ellen and Warren who believe that their father (never seen in the play) could be suffering abuses at the hands of his wife of over 50 years and so they take matters in their hands. Never mind the feelings of the wife, or what the father might want. Warren and Ellen think they know best and they take action no matter what the consequences might be.

In a brilliantly inspired and empathetic performance, Ann Gee Byrd plays Peggy, the mother, a woman who loves her husband even though he had an affair years earlier, ministers to him in spite of his increasing inability to do things for himself and wants nothing more than to help him find peace and rest. Byrd makes this woman totally believable; believable in her devotion to the man she's been with for 50 plus years, believable in her contained loathing for the suffering he caused her earlier in life, believable in her sincere efforts to relieve his pains, no matter how bizarre and absurd they may be and believable in the anguish and disdain she feels when confronted by her children.

Alcohol has become a daily ritual in their lives, and Peggy tries to reduce the problem by watering down his drinks. Warren and Ellen bring Peggy to her favorite restaurant where they hope to discuss the situation and tell her of a decision they have reached. What begins as an amiable meal between mother and children escalates into a battle of wills and emotions where the darkest feelings are exposed and things are said that can never be reversed.

Roxanne Hart plays daughter Ellen with convincing concern. She's a psychologist who believes she has the answers to the situation but one wonders why as a psychologist she can't see the real nature of the problem. Warren, as played by Tim Bagley is a confused and sometimes misguided person who harbors a deep love/hate relationship toward his mother. He also has some disturbing secrets in his personal life, but the author chooses only to hint at them and not explore them.

Finally, the restaurant waitress, who would normally be an ancillary character, also becomes a shadowy part of the tabloid since we learn that her mother, Vi Hansen, was the woman who had an affair with Peggy's husband. Lisa Rothschiller plays Babs as a perky, annoying and over solicitous server who dotes on Peggy and makes sure that her favorite drink and dessert are always available. One begins to wonder why she is so overtly interested in Peggy and what secrets she may hold.

Bitingly realistic, it's obvious the siblings never resolved their childhood rivalry, yelling, fighting each other, hurling insults and allegations back and forth. Watching the two interact as adults gives a glimpse of how they may have been raised perhaps casting doubt over Peggy's past behavior as a mother.

Director Robin Larsen takes advantage of the smaller venue at Theatre Theater to create a tight scenario that seems to symbolize the vice that is gripping the family. The rotating stage opens with one of the better depictions of an automobile ride we have seen to date, circulating to reveal a small intimate table in the restaurant scenes where most of the drama unfolds. The end of the play resolves as most would expect, but everyone knows that this is not the end of the story. In fact, as presented by the author this could be the beginning of a continually compelling tale.