Americaring
Lyric Hall Theater
827 Whalley Ave
July 25-26, 2026
The United States healthcare system is a disaster. A recent report by the commonwealth fund found that the U.S. “continues to spend more on health care than similar countries — and has worse outcomes.”
Kate Gill’s play, Americaring, directed by Frank Licato at the Lyric Hall Theater, imagines one negative outcome of our healthcare system and follows its consequences across two families intertwined by love and grief.
Early in the play, a teenage Annie (Quinn Davis) and Kyle (Preston Ottaviano) bond over the planning of a “race for the cure” style event, which they are both participating in because an unnamed illness claimed the lives of both of their mothers. They develop feelings for each other. We later learn there’s a catch; Kyle’s father Frank (Mark Gilchrist) used to employ Annie’s father Mac (Lou Champagne-Guertin), then terminated him amidst the health crisis, cutting off the family’s access to health insurance.
Tensions rise and things get ugly as the two families are brought into continuous collision with each other as a result of the budding teen romance; Gill and Licato craft a disturbing depiction of the ripple effects of systemic failure on both family units. Frank and Mac both descend into alcoholism after the loss of their wives. One of Annie’s brothers, Micky (Carlos Fruzzetti), has taken up selling drugs to financially support the family, while the other, younger brother Jimmy (Teagan Guertin), must grow up way too fast to emotionally support the crumbling household.
At the wealthier household across town, Frank has remarried the vicious, gold-digging Marilyn (Fredda Takacs). Her presence has put a strain on the father-son relationship between Frank and Kyle even before the teenage romance brings even more uncomfortable conversations to the surface between them.
The circumstances of Americaring lead to an abundance of compelling and shocking dynamics between its characters, performed by a cast that excels at bringing out the complexities of each. For example, Fruzetti channels a well of righteous rage into Micky, who is burdened by oft-absent father Mac and blames Frank for the death of his mother. His fury is even further complicated by the reveal that Marilyn is a frequent buyer of his drugs, meaning that much of the money he brings home to support his family comes directly from the family he blames for his dire circumstances; the onstage tension between Fruzzetti and and Takacs as their characters recognize each other in a new context is thrilling and unexpected.
Another standout is the dynamic between Lou Champagne-Guertin and Teagan Guertin as Mac and Jimmy. They’re a father-son pair in the show but a grandfather-grandchild pair in real life. Seeing the younger Guertin bring an emotional maturity, presence, to the character of Jimmy as he lectures his own father about the appropriate response to the tragic events of the play is heartbreaking. Champagne-Guertin’s nuanced portrayal of the grief- and addiction-stricken Mac elicits sympathy even amidst the acknowledgement that the character is trying, yet mostly failing to live up to his fatherly commitments. Guertin is also a scene-stealer in general; they bring such a light and levity to a work that is understandably grim.
While the crafting of characters and their relationships is a strength of Americaring, some of the storytelling choices muddy the larger points the piece hopes to make about the larger issues at play, especially when thinking about the juxtaposition of the two families central to the story. For example, it’s difficult to read the loss of Annie’s mother as a cruel and preventable death at the hands of Frank, when we know that Frank’s first wife, presumably insured and resourced enough to afford treatment, also passed away from the same nameless illness that is implied to be incurable.
Similarly, it’s difficult to walk away with a coherent message about addiction when Mac’s alcoholism is portrayed as a serious threat to the health and stability of his family, whereas Frank’s alcoholism is played mainly for laughs. When Frank is questioned about his marriage to the dubious Marilyn, he quips: “I was drunk.” While some comic relief is appreciated in a play that sets such a heavy tone, it would be wise to create or seek it elsewhere.
While Americaring could benefit from more clarity around the big issues it aims to confront, it is nevertheless a compelling and thought-provoking drama that features great performances of complex and challenging material. It’s impressive and delightful to see so many school-aged actors (Davis, Ottaviano, and Guertin) hold their own alongside more seasoned adult performers, and I admire the team for creating that opportunity.
