Swift Creek Mill Theatre’s “Greetings!” uses a lazy dramatic device to spread Christmas cheer.
In the 1991 play “Greetings!” it’s Christmastime in the Gorski household. Andy (Matt Bloch) is bringing home his girlfriend to meet his working-class Catholic family in Pittsburgh. Phil (Richard Travis), his father, is crotchety; Emily (Emily J. Cole), his mother, is a little uptight. His brother Mickey (Joshua Mullins), a young man with an intellectual disability who can verbalize a few lines like “Oh, boy!” and “Wow!”, is pleased to share that he’ll be attending a WWE-style wrestling match the following week.
Everything is set for your standard Christmas Eve feast, except for the news that Andy’s girlfriend Randi (Rachel Rose Gilmour) is a Jewish atheist. Phil makes an issue out of Randi’s religious outlook, launching the characters into an impassioned argument over faith and belief. Just as the conflict reaches a crescendo, Mickey transforms into Lucian, an all-knowing angel with a British accent.
In movies, film and literature, there is the trope of the Magical Negro. Popularized by director Spike Lee, the term refers to when a Black supporting character comes to the aid of the white protagonist, possessing some sort of magical power or insight that helps the white protagonist on their journey. Think “The Green Mile.” Think “Ghost.” Think “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”
In “Greetings!” Mickey is a Magical Disabled Person. There are numerous problematic ways that disability is used as a device in fiction to serve non-disabled people. There’s “inspiration porn,” where a disabled character must pull from reserves of strength to complete ordinary tasks. There’s the “superpowered” trope, where a character with a disability is shown to have abilities beyond non-disabled people, like Dustin Hoffman in “Rain Man.” Then there’s the Magical Disabled Person, where a disabled character appears in order to be a good influence and teach non-disabled people some special lesson. Mickey is the latter.
These tropes are exploitative, using disability as a plot device and reinforcing a message that disabled people just want to be like their non-disabled counterparts.
Aside from a viewpoint on disability that’s out of date, Tom Dudzick’s script delivers a mildly faithful message that we all need to chill out and open ourselves up to the mysteries of the universe. More things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy, eh? Still, Dudzick’s comedic probing of faith works much better in his similar Christmas play “Miracle on South Division Street.”
At Swift Creek, Tom Width’s deft direction keeps the frequently funny proceedings moving at a steady clip. Bloch is appealing as the everyman, and Gilmour, Bloch’s real-life girlfriend, plays well off of him. Travis is a fun crank to watch, and Mullins’ does good work balancing a respectful portrayal of a man with an intellectual disability and an angel who exudes superiority. Cole, playing much older than her actual years, gets in her moments too, especially when recounting an opportunity Phil turned down to play professional baseball.
While the cast is uniformly charming, the show’s ending is pat and its use of a disabled person as a dramatic device is problematic. “Greetings!” is an appealing production of a 30-year-old script that’s past its due date.
“Greetings!” runs through Dec. 23 at Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 Route 1, Chesterfield, 23834. For ticket information call 748-5203 or visit swiftcreekmill.com.