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Aya Ogawa in “The Nosebleed.” Photography by DJ Corey Photography.
There was a sense of excitement among the crowd at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company for the opening night of “The Nosebleed,” written and directed by Aya Ogawa. I seldom think of D.C. has having a theatre social “scene” comparable to those in New York or London, but waiting in the small lobby bar at Woolly, I detected a delectable buzz. People were excited to be in a theatre! They were excited to see each other! They were happy for spring blossoming outdoors! They were dressed up—a bit! As we prepared to enjoy this Obie Award-winning play, it felt like the pandemic truly may have subsided.
…extraordinary….a communal exorcism of guilt and unanswered questions
After taking our seats, and studying the set decorated with chairs, file boxes, old dual cassette players, and golf clubs—(whose vacated apartment was being packed up?)—we noticed a few hip and happy-looking young people gathering on both sides of the house. Their contagious energy suggested they had to be the actors, and they were soon introduced to us by the exuberant Aya Ogawa who also acts in the production. Ogawa, who is non-binary, explained that, in this autobiographical play, the other four performers would be playing Aya at various points in the story. Aya would play other family members. Then each actor, including Ogawa, related a perceived failure from their own life. Then someone from the audience was invited to share a “failure” as well. This was the first step in creating a shared sense of community among the audience and cast that was used to great effect throughout the rest of the evening.
Failure as a theme resonates throughout the play, which is often funnier than you might expect. Juxtaposed with vignettes from Aya’s life are hilariously reimagined scenes from the 21st season of “The Bachelor,” starring Rachel Lindsay, the first Black American lead in the franchise. The character of Rachel, charmingly played by Drae Campbell, protests to her White bachelor contestant (Ashil Lee) that “this isn’t real!” To which he approvingly replies, “Oh, I know!” We as an audience are all complicit in continuing that fantasy of love-at-first-sight-leads-to-marital-bliss—and communally we enjoy the self-deception!
The tone shifts as Aya’s deceased father is introduced. Ogawa sees their father as remote, cold, unloving to Aya or to his wife. He views his financial support of his family as the only evidence of love required. Aya’s lack of a relationship with this man has, in some ways, defined all of their relationships with men. When their father is accused of sexual harassment at work, Aya grieves that he is so unknown to them that they cannot be sure he is innocent of the charges. When the multiple effects of his stroke increase, the father is moved to assisted living for his final two years of life. It is then that Aya finally says all the things to him they needed to say but has no idea if he comprehends any of it. However, by finally releasing these thoughts and questions Aya is able to relieve their guilt and a sense of failure.
Each cast member excels at creating multiple characters. Ogawa’s physical presentation of their father at varying ages is more than believable—it is reincarnation. The final moments of the play engage the audience in a Japanese Buddhist ritual of sifting the bones from the ashes of the deceased, called Kotsuage. Each bone in Ogawa’s version of the ritual represents a type of failure—failure of compassion, failure of imagination, cowardice, with the last fragments of the skull representing the failure of broken dreams. It is an extraordinary moment, a communal exorcism of guilt and unanswered questions.
“The Nosebleed” won an Obie Award from the American Theatre Wing and was co-presented by the Japan Society and The Chocolate Factory Theater in October 2021.
Running time: 75 minutes with no intermission.
Content Transparency: Depiction of a nosebleed, estrangement with a parent, depiction and mentions of death, use of profanity, microaggressions, and mentions of sexual harassment.
“The Nosebleed” runs through April 23, 2023, at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St NW, Washington, D.C., DC 20004. Performances are Wednesday to Friday at 8 pm and Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm and 7 pm, (except April 9, single performance). Tickets start at $29, and are available at here, by phone at (202) 393-3939, and via email at here.
Patrons who are 30 years old and younger may purchase tickets for $20 to any performance. Discounts are also available for educators, first responders, and active U.S. military personnel, spouses, and veterans. More information is available at here.
COVID health and safety requirements: All audience members are required to wear masks inside the theatre space. Masks are strongly recommended throughout the building.
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