Cost of Living -- by Martyna Majok (2018)

Description
Cost of Living is a four-person play. Two of the actors have disabilities, but all of the characters have severe needs. Eddie and Ani are currently undergoing a divorce. Eddie gets unemployed for a DUI, and Ani is in a car accident that shatters her spine. In the midst of their divorce, Eddie returns to help Ani as a caretaker when her worker is on leave. Ani is a pure spitfire; Eddie is a troubled wanderer. John and Jess meet as John seeks for a new caretaker. He is confined to a wheelchair due to his cerebral palsy, but his limitations end there. He is a PhD graduate student who lives and communicates with arrogance. Jess is a first-generation immigrant. She hustles to get by in life, but she ends up living in her mother's car. Her communication with John is filled with misinterpretation -- to a devastating effect. The plot centers on how their lives intersect. Their lives collide both brutally and beautifully.

The play is one-of-a-kind. It's poetic. It's tragic. It's hilarious. It's brash. It's tender.

The play is currently being workshopped into a musical. When I first heard this before I read the play, I was skeptical. Now I could almost totally understand how it could be interpreted as a musical. 

Candid Reactions

• I love how she lists the "Characters" as "Folks."
• She is like Suzan-Lori parks with these punctuation marks -- I love it!
• I am a little confused about her note on John's speech. I understand what she is saying about how the typing to is reflect his choppy speech and not be seen as poetic . . . but what about the other characters? Is she referring to his actual syntax? The other lines of dialogue have line breaks, too?
• She clears up faulty interpretations by saying, "Self-pity has little currency in these characters' worlds. Humor, however, has much" (5). 
• I wonder what ripples were caused by Majok's wish, "Please cast disabled actors in the roles of Jon and Ani" (5). Her insistence that the role of Ani is played by someone with a non-English-speaking background is interesting. 
• Majok seems to be one of those writers who takes SO much care of her actors. She is so generous in her writing. For instance, she uses phrases like "not to be understood" and "Not to Be Understood" -- this difference is only viewable to the actors. 
• Eddie's lines are so poetic in the prologue. He states, "Roads are dark and America's long" (11). He later says, "That little buzz in my pocket or on the nightstand, that's the rope gets tossed down to you at the bottom of that well" (11). 
• Eddie's yearning to be generous is almost a strong psychological need. 
• Maybe Majok would loathe this, but I teared up at John's entrance. I think it might be the best entrance description of the project: "John enters in a wheelchair. / He is beautiful. / John has cerebral palsy" (18). I just think it is powerful that Majok does not go into some long exposition-filled description about John's background or physical limitations. 
• There are clear parallels being drawn between these two stories. 
• Thank goodness for the comedic relief!
• John notes, "I can basically do anything I want except that things I can't" (22). What a line!
• Jess is so defensive!
• Majok, again, liberates the actors: "Perhaps Jess turns toward the door" (24). 
• Ani's description is priceless: "A cat that resists being pet. Until it wants to be" (26). 
• Ani's line about yoga is hilarious. 
• The exchange of baggage is more than just about luggage. 
• Ani's "come-to-terms" attitude about her life is realistic; Eddie seems to be the one who can't live with reality. 
• There are many lines that are brief, but incredibly connotative. For instance, Eddie offers, "I can paint the walls fer you" (33). 
• The dance scene is hilarious. 
• Jess's name reminds me of Usnavi's name in In the Heights. 
• John's explanation of what his body feels like is evocative. 
• Oh, the transition between scenes Three and Four is expert with the punching motif. 
• Ani's explanation about why she wants to feel bad about the weather is powerful. 
• There is probably the most quotable line from the play: "I've thrown every awful string a words I could think of at you these past few days 'n I'm a very creative person but yer still here" (59). 
• I think time could stand still when Eddie plays piano on Ani's arms. 
• Nice callback to color when Ani describes why she wants to visit Maine. 
• Ani wants to be wanted for herself, not for her needs. 
• AHHHHH! When she slips in the tub -- I can't handle that!
• Oh, goodness. What will future generations think of the inclusion of "DTF" in the stage directions?
• Oh, shoot. Poor Jess. 
• AH! The parallels between people being comfortable/uncomfortable with certain setups!
• The poetry of Majok's writing is nearly unparalleled. 
• Jess's filled out background helps further develop some themes in the play -- especially those of inhabitance, willpower, helplessness. 
• When Eddie starts to have a moment of sadness, I cannot help but have my heart break. His sadness is so pure. 
• I don't know exactly how I feel about this ending.

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
1. Representation of People with Disabilities
No other show that has won this prize draws more undivided attention to individuals with disabilities. Majok presents a detailed portrait of these individuals. Majok does not flatter, soften, or generalize. In fact, she does the opposite: She highlights flaws; she roughens; she specifies quirks. The message of the play is not "People with disabilities are people, too," but the play denies any reader from believing anything otherwise.

2. Codependence
America is all about independence, but humanity can only function on a significant amount of codependence. No character in the show can really depend on his or herself. Each character has undeniable needs that can only be met by outside forces. How these characters react to this need is another fascinating look into humanity. What adds to the above aspect is that this codependent nature is just as prevalent, if not more, with the people without disabilities as it is for the people with disabilities. 

Classroom Implications
The language is consistently horrific in this play, although Majok contends that she uses the "f word" intentionally like the word "like" and not always as an expression of aggression. However, I think that would leave it out of the classroom . . . and the shower/bathing scenes. Yet, I could see this being a great read for an intro to literature class with its excellence in structure and symbolism. It could be a prime example of how texts can be read through several lenses.

Personal Takeaway
Creative "boundaries" continue to be crossed in playwriting, and I am overjoyed for that!

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 9.0
0	Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character	Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity	Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping	Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story	Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1	Not consistently realistic	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points (1.5)	Devices somewhat enhance story	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters (2)	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity (1.75)	Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!	Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation (2)	Reader would re-read the play   on own volition, enthusiastically (1.75)