“The Bedwetter” is an uproariously funny musical about so much more than wetting the bed
DC REVIEW | It’s also a poignant family story about getting through middle school
Before there was Sarah Silverman, the comedian, there was Sarah Silverman, the 10-year old girl, trying to make friends at a new school after her parents’ divorce. She is depressed and prone to wetting the bed every night. And, on top of all that, she’s in middle school! The top-notch musical “The Bedwetter,” playing at Arena Stage through March 16, is a portrait of the comedian as a young girl. Through subtle character development, hilarious songs, and creative storytelling, it provides a heartbreaking study of a family finding their way through a mess.
We meet Sarah on her first day of school in Bedford, New Hampshire, where she has just moved. As portrayed by the excellent Aria Kane, she’s an upbeat, earnest kid who’s never had trouble making friends. She meets three girls at school, to whose every criticism of her appearance and personality, she simply sings “I couldn’t agree more!” Somehow, this cheerful self-deprecation converts them. They decide to befriend her and we get our first glimpse of the comedian she will become.
The girls invite Sarah to a party, which causes her to panic when she realizes it’s a sleepover: what if she wets the bed and ruins her new-found friendships? While this time she is saved, the central conflict of the show has ignited: how will she avoid embarrassment from her bedwetting habit during the tricky middle school years?
The show goes way deeper than this, though, touching on the loss of a child, clinical depression, drug companies’ zeal to prescribe Xanax, divorce, alcoholism, and more. As these darker elements are introduced, they’re usually nestled within a laugh line. This is key to the show’s success: it explores challenging material through comedy. It’s got a foul mouth and a full heart.
Silverman collaborated with playwright Joshua Harmon (“Prayer for the French Republic,” “Bad Jews”) on the book. With a deft hand, their script develops character, plot, and theme through an intricate structure that appears effortless. Its unceasing humor and delightful songs provide consistent pleasures, while the last third of the show packs an emotional punch when things fall apart. A musical’s book is often its least appreciated element. When it’s bad, you notice, but if it works, it does so nearly invisibly: the characters and story seem to just unfold before you. (While you might remember a few of the jokes, no one walks out humming the dialogue.) This creative team have so elegantly woven together dialogue, music, and storytelling that you don’t even notice the magic.
And about that music—if you enjoyed the songs in the television show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” you’ll have a sense for the style. Adam Schlesinger provided songs for both, here with lyrics also by Silverman. His score weaves in pop, jazz, and even vaudeville-style numbers, but the lyrics are decidedly contemporary. They land easily on the ear, alternately crackling with humor and full of poignancy. After Schlesinger died of COVID partway through composing the score (which Rachel Bloom explored in her excellent “Death, Let me Do My Special!” on Netflix), David Yazbek (“The Band’s Visit”) was brought on to provide additional music and lyrics. He managed to write in the same style as Schlesinger, making the score feel seamless.
Director Anne Kauffman strikes the right balance between irreverence and heartbreak, navigating her ensemble seamlessly through the show’s tonal shifts. An ingenious set from designer David Korins features 1980s-esque drab yellow wall panels through which slide beds, couches, and walls, rendering the show’s many settings without fuss. Further evoking the time period are Kay Voyce’s costumes (Sarah wears rainbow suspenders) and Tom Watson’s wigs (big and frumpy).
Each member of Sarah's family is deliciously complex. Her father (Darren Goldstein) is a philanderer, yet also serves as her primary caregiver, taking her to doctors to try and help her stop wetting the bed. Her grandmother (Liz Larsen, perfect as a sweet drunk) is an alcoholic but affirming of Sarah, picking her up from school and trying to help by buying her diapers. Her mother (Shoshana Bean) is a faded-from-glory actress who makes sure you hear the “h”s in her “whats” and “whoms.” She stays in bed most of the day, suffering from depression and agoraphobia. Yet she has more insight into how to support her daughter than anyone else, telling her ex-husband, in the show’s most powerful number, “you can’t fix her.”
Bean—an enormous talent, fresh off her Tony-nominated turn in "Hell's Kitchen"—gives her character a lot of depth in an understated performance that only hints at the profound darkness within. When Sarah’s sister is disappointed her mother missed another soccer game, she sings that she won’t be “there for you” at any of life’s big milestones; but she will always be “here for you”—in her bedroom, happy to talk and shower them with love. It’s a beautiful song, and a prime example of the way the whole score manages a balance between funny and poignant. As performed by Bean, it reveals way more about the character than you’d think from the lyrics alone.
Bean is the big name in the production, but the whole ensemble truly shines. Rick Crom plays a hypnotist, psychiatrist, Phil Donahue, Johnny Carson, and more, bringing a spot-on specificity to each and nearly running away with every scene he’s in. Ashley Blanchet is glamorous as Miss New Hampshire (or “Miss New HampSHUH” as these New Hampshirites call her in a funny song that emphasizes the accent).
Television plays a central role in show. When we meet Sarah’s mother, it’s via Phil Donahue literally walking into her bedroom to interview her. Clever flickering lighting from designer Japhy Weideman invokes the unseen TV she’s watching. Television ads for Sarah’s dad’s clothing store feature prominently, with bouncy showgirls performing Danny Mefford’s fun choreography. Besides being funny diversions, these devices are a narrative sleight of hand to explore serious things at an angle without hitting you over the head with them.
This is “The Bedwetter”s second outing, following a world premiere at Atlantic Theater Company in 2022. Commercial producers are attached to the show and I’m betting they have their sights on taking it to Broadway. It’s ready!
(Playing through March 16 at Arena Stage in DC. 100 minutes with no intermission.)