It might sound like a contradiction at first. It’s a musical comedy about the emotional journey of a mother whose sun had been diagnosed with autism.
Annie Torsiglieri knows it well. Not only did the actress, and UCSB Theater professor write the story, she lived it.
"We have twins. When one of my children had markedly different sort of affect, etc, to his brother, it was kind of like hey...what's going on?"
When one of her twin sons was 16 months old, he was diagnosed with autism. It was nearly two decades ago, so we didn’t know many of the things we know, and understand now.
"This was...you know 18 years ago. Happily, the world now has learned so much more about autism...but back then, the doctors didn't know. I talk about that a lot in my play."
Torsiglieri admits it was confusing. There was so much conflicting information about autism. "I got such different point of view from professionals. They would say you got to do this, but whatever you do, don't do that. Here's my precious, precious child, and I don't know who to believe," said the playwright and actress.
Because she’s a Broadway veteran, it hit her that her experiences, and her family’s journey might resonate with others as a play. The result is A Train.
She says while it’s largely based on her experiences, she also talked to other families with kids on the spectrum, and incorporated some of their stories.
The play started as a project at UCSB’s Launch Pad, which is an incubator for new works. Risa Brainin directed it then, and is the director of this production with Ventura’s Rubicon Theater Company. It started as a comedy, but has evolved into a musical comedy. Torsiglieri says she hopes through humor, and music people will be moved, and entertained, as they also learn something about living with autism.
"I wanted to, as any parent would, create a better world for their child. Part of the point of the play is to open hearts and minds towards understanding. But, it's also to entertain. It's funny, and it's a comedy," said Torsiglieri.
A Train has been performed in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. But, this is the first extended run in the region.
It has a Friday night preview, and officially opens Saturday night. It runs through April 28 at Ventura’s Rubicon Theater.
