The Relativity Series: The Fever Syndrome (Part 1)
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L.A. TheatreWorks presents The Fever Syndrome by Alexis Ziegerman, directed by Sarah Drew. Starring Hugo Armstrong, Seamus Dever, Sarah Drew, Patrick Heusinger, Kelly McCreary, Monica McSwain, Matthew Floyd Miller, Deshawn K. Terry, and Joanne Wally.

This play is part of L.A. TheatreWorks' Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

Professor Richard Myers, now in his 70s and suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease, is about to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in the development of in vitro fertilization. That calls for a family reunion. And given this high-functioning, dysfunctional family, there's bound to be trouble ahead.

As they gather, old resentments erupt as they fight over Richard's legacy while facing another family member's serious illness. And now, The Fever Syndrome by Alexis Ziegerman, produced by L.A. TheatreWorks. Sick!

Miller Becker! I didn't know he was still sleeping. He gets disoriented if you wake him. Uh-huh. He really is thrilled to see you. He was desperate for you all to make it. Of course we made it. Lily, off the chair. I don't think you should be touching that, sweetie. He'll tell you himself. He has this wonderful speech therapist, Karen.

She's been making real progress. She works a lot through anger. Anger? To make the voice louder. The Parkinson's makes his voice very soft, and the anger helps him to get his point across. I'm sure he's a natural. Or the levodopa might be wearing off. We've had to adjust the dosages. It's a delicate balance between that and the carbidopa to deal with the on-off times. Truthfully, he's been more off than on recently.

The antibiotics for the pneumonia didn't help. They really mess with your gut flora. They do. He can't open his bowels. And you know, that's always been a hobby. Your father cherishes his time on his throne. That's what I call it, his throne.

He used to sit there for hours with a copy of the New Yorker. The constipation means he's probably not eliminating all his pee. Okay. And that can also lead to infection. Those UTIs send him off the wall crazy. There was even talk of putting him on antipsychotics. Can you stop the chair now, sweetie? But honestly, when the levodopa stops working, I don't know what we'll do. That's what the doctors say. It just stops working.

It's so good to have you here. I think Thomas is arriving any minute. Talk me through the pneumonia. He's over it now. What happened exactly? I told you when I called from the hospital.

We were eating chicken noodle soup here at the table. Maybe it was beef barley. You have to make sure the food's the right consistency. It has to be real mushy, and it was. I mushed it up myself because he can't swallow so good, particularly if the levodopa's wearing off. His tongue gets lazy. It's called dys...

Dysphagia. Dysphagia, right. You have to schedule the medication around his mealtimes. And I told you this. They said some food must have gotten to his lungs. Aspiration. What happened to the aid? You mean Joy? Joy is gone. When? About a month. You haven't replaced Joy? We tried. They don't stay. He rubs them the wrong way. You know how he is. He lashes out.

The disease is very frustrating for him. His brain moves so quickly and his body doesn't follow. Oh boy, he got so angry brushing his teeth. He has an electric toothbrush, so once it's in his mouth, he doesn't have to move it. But the shaking was pretty bad yesterday.

He dropped the brush, tried to pick it up, smashed his head on the sink. Then he verbally abused the sink. Anyway, the home care aides can't handle it. For enough money, they can't handle it. Well, we do not have endless amounts of money to spend.

The good aides come from agencies and they charge a ton. Plus, Richard doesn't trust them. The agencies? The aides. He'll only have me doing things. So there was me, hooking up intestinal tubes with Joy sitting there in the corner reading the National Enquirer. The drugs don't stop working. It's the disease progression. Sorry? The levodopa doesn't just stop working. It's the disease getting worse. That's what I meant.

Didn't I say that? No. Well, you know, I don't always understand the language. Richard, thank God, understands it all. I mean, he's more qualified than all of them. I think I should talk directly to Dr. Novak. You need to get off the chair now, honey. We moved on from Dr. Novak. I just want to write it all the way to the top. It's no use in the middle. Your father didn't like him.

He found him slow. From a man with Parkinson's. A stairlift in motion tends to stay in motion. Novak's one of the top specialists in the field. So speak to Dr. Novak. Be my guest. But if you want to speak to his actual doctor... Sure. Yeah, I'd like to contact him. Or her. I'll make an appointment while I'm here. I have some errands to run anyways. And, um... Yeah, this will be a priority. Okay. Okay. You'll need your father's permission. Okay. And I should be there. If anything's discussed...

I need to know about it. I am next of kin. Okay. He's really thrilled you can all make it. Apparently this is quite the honor. The Laskers are the American Nobels. It doesn't get any more prestigious, apart from the Nobel. When I took the call, your father was lying in his hospital bed. It was touch and go at that point. He was hooked up to all those machines, just skin and wires.

I sat there staring at the emergency button on the wall, thinking how bad does it have to get before I push it? The phone rang. I pick up. It was somebody from the committee saying he'd won this prize. Well, I thought it was a prank call because I nearly got stung once with an email saying I got a tax refund. But then the Institute called to say he'd won this Lifetime Achievement Award. Yeah, for advances in the field. I almost think that was the thing that pulled him through.

He was getting real low in the hospital. I couldn't even get him to eat those yogurts, the ones with the flipped corner. Strawberry cheesecake flavor's his favorite. You have to wait for the crumb to get real mushy in the yogurt. Wouldn't touch it. Then, like a miracle, the call came. He's been working on the acceptance speech for weeks.

I thought the speech therapist should go over it with him. And I know he'd love to practice the speech for you, Dot, before tomorrow. Really? You understand the language, would you? He said that? You know he's too proud to actually say that. Lily! Oh, sweetie! Hello! I haven't had a chance to look at you properly. Come on down. Let me look at you. Okay.

I should go hang the suit. One second, Nate. How are you, darling? She's good. Not feeling so bad these days? Is it getting better? Doesn't really get better. But we're managing. I feel so bad you get sick. I hate getting sick. I hate hospitals.

I bet you're really brave about it. I have to learn to inject myself. What? I'm gonna have to take a shot every day. Oh, no, baby. That sounds terrible. It's to dampen down the immune response. It's okay. You numb the skin with the free spray. You gotta make sure you don't bruise yourself. Sometimes these nurses...

They'd just leave track marks up and down Richard's arm. I started to name one of them Nurse Ratched. She was brutal. We don't need to create anxiety around it. We're still waiting on the insurance to okay the medication. It is not inexpensive. But you look so well. You got prettier. You look so pretty. We say clever, powerful, strong. You look strong. Well, that just sounds plain weird.

Can we talk about the room situation? I put you in your old room. Yeah. I'm sorry about the rowing machine. We bought it when Richard was supposed to be on a strict exercise.

exercise regime. Not that he ever went near it. Dr. Novak was all about exercise. There's a blow-up bed on the floor. For Lil's. I managed to squeeze it in. Lily needs her own room. It's fine, Mom. It'd be like camping in a gymnasium. It's not fine. She needs her own room. She's nearly 13. Oh. She's too old to be bunking up with her parents. It's only for a few nights. I didn't think it would be an issue.

In some cultures, the children sleep with the parents. In healthy communities, that doesn't happen. We don't have any other rooms. She can stay in Anthony's room. Where will Anthony stay? Anthony's not coming. He's arriving today. He sent me a message. He always says that.

He won't come. He knows how important this is for your father. To have you all here. He wouldn't miss it. He is always a no-show. He cries work and then shirks any responsibility. He paid for the stair lift. Called up a Meriglide. I think he knows someone. Organized the whole thing. Okay. He would have got one of his PAs to call a sales hotline. He's coming. A small gesture with the largest possible visual impact. I'll drop these all in our room for now.

Come on, Lily. Maybe Anthony could sleep on the couch. Or I can put the blow-up bed on the floor here, once I've cleared away dinner. I made a one-pot chicken dish. I didn't have time to go all fancy. I hope that's okay with you. It's been quite effortful getting the place ready. It takes a lot of planning. I'm sorry. I didn't know Joy had quit. She didn't quit. We let her go. With severance pay.

Joy did very well out of it, so don't you worry about Joy. One of the care aides had her hand in my pocketbook. Did you know about that? That's what it's like having strangers in your house. They call them care aides, but do they actually care? You just have to pay them enough. There's always two sides to an argument. I have to tell your father that. There's always two sides to an argument. There's no argument. Knock, knock. Oh, my goodness. Calm ass.

I forgot you had a key. Should we have rung the bell? I didn't want to disturb Dad. That's fine. You must be Philip. It's so good to meet you. You too. We just need to keep track of who has keys. We've given them out to so many aides. I've no idea who's returned them. We really should change the locks. I got a quote over the phone from a locksmith. This is Dot, my sister. I've heard so much about you. Do you have any idea how much they charge? It's extortion. Megan, my dad's wife. Philip, welcome.

He can't bring himself to say step up. It's been too long. How was the flight? Horrific. Pretty lucky. We just missed a dust storm. Nate. Phillip.

Oh, no, this can't be. Lil' Lil's? Oh, no, this isn't right. I've got a cuddly Peppa Pig in my bag for you. What in God's name am I going to do with it? I'll take it. You know I like cuddly pigs. I don't mind. Ha ha. Not really. I got you this. It's been a good five years. It's a top seller. Thanks. It's a book. It has pages. You turn them. I know. She already read it. Damn. Yeah, fifth grade. She gets a lot of downtime on the sofa because of the thing. That's what we call it, Lil's, don't we? The thing.

We try to break up the screen time with a lot of reading, don't we, honey? It's a great book. Lily and I were talking about the parallels of Drew with the Elephant Man. We can change it. Take a trip down to Barnes & Noble. If you can find one open. It's fine. How's Dad? Have you seen him? He wasn't in the greatest mood. Well, who doesn't wake up disoriented? He'll be happy now you are all here. Is Anthony here? Anthony is not here. I'll go see if he's ready to come down. Thomas, you and Philip are in your old room.

Is he bad? It's hard to say. Somewhat conflicting information. I couldn't get to the hospital. I'm getting ready for the show. It's a nightmare. I'm a nightmare. He is. How's Tucson? Great. I mean, it's a desert. It's hell. But it's great. You're from Tucson? Phoenix, originally. Shouldn't call me until two days after. Two whole days after he was admitted. I think they didn't realize how serious it was. You know, Joy's gone. Who's Joy? The aide. Right, Joy. Joy.

She was kind of bad at her job, though, right? I mean, she was into all this conspiracy theory that is absolutely bound to wind Dad up. You think it's a coincidence that he's rushed to the hospital when there's no aid here? This is unsustainable. Dad has the money for a qualified nurse. We have to sit Megan down and explain what's best for Dad. Okay, we'll talk about it. It's not going to get any better. It's a downward trajectory. The man's only just taken off his coat. We're all very busy. I appreciate that. Listen, I haven't been on the ball with this. We have...

other things going on, but we are all here for Dad, so we should take this opportunity to come together. I said okay. So, what's the show about? It's a new collection of, uh,

Christ, sorry, I haven't got to the artist's statement yet. How we perceive ourselves in our environment, it doesn't sumate when you say it out loud, it really dilutes the work. I'm just going to stop. I've seen some of the finished paintings. They are incredible. Some are really not finished. You'll get it done. You always do. Remember, Lils, we were talking about Hopper? Uncle Thomas' work has echoes of Hopper. Not really.

Really, hopper. In terms of buildings and their relationship to people. Are you an artist, Philip? Me? No. I do IT support for Bunzels. It's an air cargo shipper company. They call them a haboob, don't they? Excuse me? The dust storm's in Arizona. Haboob. It's from the Arabic. I guess so. Dad! Hey. In you go, Richard. Buckle up. Okay.

All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up. Sunset Boulevard. Can you make it go faster? It can't go faster. Of course it can. That's the fastest setting. A fucking elephant could just take it quicker than this. Dad, Lily's here. Who? Lily, so maybe you could dial down the obscenities. That's what I need, another woman telling me how to fucking articulate. Ugh.

Christ. I'm sure she's heard derivatives of the verb to fuck, Dorothea. Or are you living in a puritanical cult in Washington? Oh, wait a minute. Washington is a puritanical cult. I am walking down the stairs to greet my kith and kin. Let me help. Don't buzz around me like a gnat, Nate. Gnat? Nate! I see what you did there. Hmm.

Dad, this is Philip. Who? Philip, my partner. Right, I knew that. It's an honor to meet you, sir. Honor's all mine. Where's Pollux? Pollux? Anthony is Pollux and Thomas is Castor. Castor and Pollux?

The twins. In Greek mythology, Zeus transformed them into the constellation Gemini. I delivered them both. Anthony was yellow. A yellow, huge supergiant. Anthony's not here yet. Hi, Dad. I delivered all three of my kids. I have a child sample of N equals three. That's publishable. He's coming. He has to come all the way from the West Coast. He doesn't get here on a magic carpet. I'm hungry. I could eat a hot dog from a gas station. Richard, I just wanted to say congratulations on such a...

Well, it's exactly the right prize. A truly fitting tribute. About goddamn time, right? Been waiting in line behind Falco and Darnell. Darnell, because he wrote a book that made it onto the Common Core. It's a pretty seminal undergraduate text. I nearly shuffled off this mortal coil before I made it to the front. I literally almost died waiting for a Lifetime Achievement Award. Not at all, Dad. Course awards don't mean a goddamn thing unless you win them. Lily, say hi to Grandpa. Okay.

You look good. I dropped a few pounds. It suits you. It's a shake. It burns calories. The neurological disease diet. You should try it, Nate. It might suit you. Oh, I'll bear that in mind. What's his name? It's Philip, Dad. Philip? Yes, sir. Yeah, you play? Oh, no, sir. Me either. Call me Richard. Richard.

hands all over the place my showman comes out like experimental jazz richard you're doing that on purpose why not to get too excited how shouldn't i get excited you want to deny me the taste of adrenaline in my mouth because you have to last the whole day you don't want to poop out lily put the phone away

What happened to the table? What do you mean, what happened to the table? It's there. It's moved. It hasn't moved.

I put an extra leaf on it to seat your kith and kin. It has or has moved. It's expanded expansionism. Form of movement. Lily, expansion is an increase in volume from an increase in temperature. Now why don't you sit down? I'm good. I won't say it again. You'll be even better sitting. You're not the boss of me. Who was the boss when you lost your balance yesterday? Don't be rude. Just say hi. Nearly bashed your skull into the sink. Christ's sake, woman, will you stop fussing? Hi, Grandpa. Hi.

I think we'll go unpack. Yep, I should shower. I have the pungent aroma of Delta Airlines. Dinner around five, okay? I know for some of you that's closer to lunch, but I don't want to disrupt your father's routine. Good for us. He seems nice, Philip. He seems uncomplicated. Which I think for Thomas is good.

He certainly lasted longer than the others. That's when we finally got to meet. He called me his sister. Hmm? He introduced me as his sister. Sounded odd. Not his sister. I'm his half-sister. Half-sister sounds ungenerous. But it's correct. Perhaps he sees you as a sister. I doubt. That makes me feel kind of shitty. What's great for Lily to see are uncles. Half-uncles. Half-uncles.

The whole family. I mean, intergenerational interaction is hugely important for development. Even though I know being here is a strain for you. It's not me. It's her. This house. Something, right? This is what I think of when I think of New York. This is the exact house I have in my mind. Tall, majestic...

Where I grew up, it's all about spreading those fat thighs across as much land as possible. Everything is low and squat. Maybe that's why everyone's so thin in Manhattan. There's no space. And no light. Where we are, there's light and a lot of fucking sky. And a lot of fucking fat people. I hope you're not talking about me. I'm not talking about you. I happen to like the pot belly. Can we fuck now, please? It feels odd.

This room. Tom's childhood bedroom. Yep. Anthony was in the room next door. They had to separate us or we'd keep each other up the whole night. So instead, Anthony tapped his foot on the wall. He'd stick his foot out of the bed, tap it on the wall. And I knew when the tapping stopped, he'd fallen asleep. And then I could fall asleep. Neither of us wanted to be the first one to lose consciousness. And once one was asleep, there was no point in the other being awake.

You don't look alike. You know we're not identical. You've seen photos. There's a similarity. There's no denying. We share a lot of the same genes. We're very different people. Hmm. What posters did you have on the wall? I don't remember. Ah, come on. Anthony had this giant Britney Spears one. Britney Spears standing in front of an American flag with his ghastly red leatherette pants. And you had Justin Timberlake. You can admit it. I had a Kandinsky Composition 8 poster.

Not the real thing. It was a print. I may have had a copy of Tiger Beat with NSYNC on the front cover stuffed into that top drawer over there. Oh, yeah? It's a lot of pressure on her to have you all here. Please, she's not coping. She could have taken him for earlier intervention. A speech-language pathologist? A video fluoroscopy to check his swallow? Instead, she employed a Lacanian drama therapist to bring out my father's inner rage. Like he needs help with that.

She's making terrible, ill-informed decisions, and she's actively blocking my involvement in any way. What are they still doing in this house? They should be in a one, maybe two-bedroom condo.

She won't let go of the location. The status symbol of being able to walk barefoot to her Tai Chi group in Central Park. Or maybe it's some misguided loyalty to the twins because they did Little League across the way and all their memories are tied up here. Some other bullshit excuse. What in God's name is Anthony putting a stairlift in the house for? Well, I'm sure he's trying to be helpful. You think? You smell the damp? The dust burning off the radiators? She doesn't heat the rest of the house. What?

There isn't one photo of Lily downstairs, did you notice? How can you not notice? All those pictures of hundreds of babies. Other people's fucking babies. Not one of his only grandchild. Everything's digitalized now. Back then, people developed photos and put them in the mail. They wanted to say, thank you, thank you for giving me this little life. Now everything's stored in a cloud. You think my father has a photo of Lily on a cloud? The man still uses a dictaphone.

At the very least, if she doesn't want to soil her walls with a photo of my family, she could pull one out of the drawer when we visit. It's hard being married to a mire. Trust me, we're persecuted outsiders. You shouldn't crowd around him like that. You know he hates it. Nat. He called me a Nat. Well, you take on an obsequious tone when you're around him. Uh-huh. Nate. I'm gonna go wash up. I've set up a meeting at the clinic while we're here about the embryos.

This is L.A. TheatreWorks' production of The Fever Syndrome by Alexis Ziegerman. Our story continues next time. I'm Susan Loewenberg, producing director of L.A. TheatreWorks.