WHEN THE DEAD STILL RUN THE ROOM

Grief, memory, and the long shadow of unfinished business

In this play of four characters, a fifth looms large, though never seen: the titular Louisa, late wife to Steven (James Sutorius), mother to Celia (Faline England), and grandmother to Lucy (Caroline Renee). She’s been dead for nearly forty years, but she might as well be in the room in every scene, as she is the impetus for almost everything anyone says—whether to praise her, curse her, pity her, or empathize with her. A four-page letter she wrote just before her death has a grip on everyone and has been gnawing at them for decades, particularly undermining any chance of peace between Celia and Steven, while leaving second wife Helga (Denise Young) very much caught in the middle.

James SutoriusFaline England

Prior to attending, the bland title didn’t pull me in, and the vague plot description didn’t turn that around. My motivation for attending was primarily rooted in trust: if North Coast Rep chose to mount a world premiere of this piece by Joanna McClelland Glass (whom I had not heard of before), then the script must have made quite an impression on Artistic Director David Ellenstein, who also directed this production.

Faline England, James SutoriusFaline England, Caroline Renee

And even then, for about twenty-five minutes—despite sharp, tight writing—the discomfort of spending time with this dysfunctional family outweighed my interest in staying for the rest of it, admittedly with the topics feeling too close to home. Then something happened. Ms. England, with too much whiskey in Celia’s angry body, delivers a tremendous monologue as she treats Johnny Walker (as in, the empty bottle) as her therapist, and suddenly there was no chance of missing what followed. As the characters begin letting down their armor, revealing truer motivations and confronting the demons Louisa set in motion, the real beauty of Glass’ writing begins to shine. Nobody is wrong, but in being right, everyone is hurting. Both the longing for—and impossibility of—shedding the past are laid bare. How do we move on while feeling we’re dishonoring the wishes of someone we loved who is now gone? I went from not wanting to stay to not wanting the show to end.

Denise Young, James SutoriusCaroline Renee, Faline England

The cast is strong, with Mr. Sutorius ranging from sweet to irritating as Steven struggles with the loss of his mind and body. Ms. Renee gives us reason to find a sense of home in her portrayal of Lucy, which we desperately need. Ms. Young beautifully represents—in her first stage role in twenty-five years—the passenger caught up in a family she chose when she fell for Steven, despite the blows she takes along the way. But it’s Ms. England you’ll think most about on your way home, delivering a riveting portrayal of someone torn in every direction and filling the gaps with liquor just to get by. Much of this work is enhanced by Ian Scot’s lovely original score.

Faline England, Denise YoungFaline England, Caroline Renee

As good as the piece is, it is clearly very new and apparently underwent numerous rewrites during rehearsals. At times, it feels as though the actors are still discovering how certain highly interpretable lines are meant to be delivered. This program, already quite fine, will likely continue to tighten and gain even more power.

Marty Burnett’s stage design addresses an interesting challenge: how to depict both Steven’s home (the audience-right two-thirds of the stage) and Celia’s home (the remaining third) without scene changes, for which there is no time. The distinction is subtle, though a stronger visual separation might help—perhaps a different wall color, or not having Celia’s tablecloth so closely match the pillows on Steven’s couch. That said, once the device becomes clear, it is easy to follow for the rest of the show.

Caroline Renee, Denise YoungDenise Young, James Sutorius

One surprising discovery is that the playwright of this brand-new work is nearly ninety years old. The depth of her experience likely informs the quality of the language spoken by Steven and Helga.

There is always risk in producing a new script still under development. North Coast Rep and the four actors earn real respect for embracing that risk and delivering a fine, moving set of performances that do justice to Ms. Glass’ excellent dialogue.

Caroline Renee

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

photos by Aaron Rumley

Louisa Gillis
North Coast Repertory Theatre
987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach (San Diego)
ends on February 8, 2026
Wed & Thu at 7pm; Fri & Sat at 8pm; Sat & Sun at 2pm (plus Wed Feb 4 matinee)
for tickets ($68.50–$80.50), call 858.481.1055 or visit North Coast Rep

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦