Deathbed confession inspires new comedy at Seattle’s Annex Theatre

Theater preview

A kernel of family lore inspired Marcus Gorman’s new Annex Theatre play, “Gold,” in which a 19-year-old woman learns of her grandfather’s mistresses when he confuses her for one of them on his deathbed. Armed with his little black book, she sets out on a road trip with her best friend to track each of them down. 

While it’s a plotline that could seem engineered for high jinks, at least the beginning of this tale is true. One of Gorman’s family friends found themselves in a similar situation, though the ensuing search for answers is invented. 

Gorman, who’s written and devised plays at Annex and with other Seattle fringe companies at the late Ballard Underground for more than a decade, built out the story by infusing his own family dynamics and details about a grandfather he never knew. (Gorman is a contributor to The Ticket, a Seattle Times Content Studio site.)

As Frankie (Rebekah Nachman) and Mona (Megan Huynh) crisscross the United States, encountering women from Frankie’s grandfather’s past (each played by Sophie J. Sen), “Gold” explores shifting identities across three generations of a Jewish family and the pitfalls of digging too deep.

For Gorman, it’s his most personal work yet, he said.

“I learned more about my place in my family history,” Gorman said. “And how to not worry too much about the past. And pick what you need in order to survive as a human being.”

He pauses.

“I’m making this sound so much more serious than the play actually is.”

“Gold” is mostly a comedy after all, with the balance shifting away from drama as it developed in readings and workshops over the past four years. Throughout that period, Gorman has collaborated with Jasmine Joshua, who’s directing the Annex production, which opens Jan. 17 and runs through Feb. 8.

In describing his own comedic voice, Gorman identifies a wide range of influences, each known for blending comedy and drama in earnest: Qui Nguyen, Alan Ball, Dave Eggers, Neil Simon.

“(It’s) all these things sort of mixing together,” Gorman said. “Taking Neil Simon and his patter (but) not having it be about a bunch of cranky white men in the ’60s or ’70s who have never really met a woman. I can admire it but maybe kind of update that stuff to modern times.”

Gorman’s plays at Annex have often gone far beyond modern times, like in 2018’s sci-fi “Peggy: The Plumber Who Saved the Galaxy,” co-written with Jacob Farley and set in the year 3732. Or into an alternate dimension, like 2017’s “Deers,” where woodland creatures are the ones bellying up to the bar in a cracked vision of sitcom humor.

“Gold,” with its relatively naturalistic storyline, set in the recognizable real world, might seem like a departure from the genre work Gorman has made his name in. But in many ways, it’s a culmination of his writing career to this point. Gorman’s first show he wrote for Annex was “Natural,” which he described as his attempt to channel Neil LaBute’s caustic voice in a play about a group of millennials’ sexual fumblings. 

Now, a decade later, Gorman no longer feels like he’s trying on another writer’s style.

“I learned a lot through (my Annex shows) about how to make something my own,” Gorman said. “While (‘Gold’) sounds like a domestic dramedy, there are fantasy elements, fourth-wall breaking. I’m trying to be playful with something that might seem very precious or straightforward when you hear the idea behind it.”

Being an independent artist is a hustler’s life, Gorman said, but he’s grateful for institutions like Annex that offer the freedom to experiment.

Now in its 38th season, Annex Theatre stands as Seattle’s reigning fringe stalwart — an “anarcho-democratic collective” where genre experimentation is highly encouraged and company membership is widely inclusive, with anyone who’s involved in a production considered a member going forward. 

“Annex has been very good about letting people have free rein, as long as it doesn’t cost too much and you trust the audience’s imagination,” Gorman said. “I’m very thankful for them, who have given me so many opportunities.”

It’s no secret that making theater, particularly niche, experimental or just plain weird theater, isn’t getting easier in Seattle. But after several quieter years, Annex is back with its most robust season since prepandemic days. “Gold” is the first of five mainstage plays in a season that also includes a number of script readings and two immersive productions.

“We’re really coming back strong,” Gorman said. “This is a real Hail Mary of a season where we’re throwing everything at the wall.”