Wings

Arthur Kopit’s 1978 one-act is about ex-aviator Emily Stilson (Jan Maxwell) who suffers a stroke and must learn to live with aphasia. Emily thinks in clear sentences, but speaks in disjointed gibberish; this gap between interior and exterior realities allows actors and designers to shift modes to striking effect. The drama of Wings, such as it is, is in seeing if our hero can integrate the various pieces of her personality, or build something new from its shattered parts. The play began life as a radio drama in 1976, and unfortunately, still retains the static quality of something better heard than seen.—David Cote