‘Are You Happy?’ Mulls Life’s Questions

“Are you happy?� is the question that mothers sometimes sarcastically ask when their children have made them angry. With gentle humor, Marcia Wilkie considers this linguistic confusion and other complexities of life in her amusing, segmented solo show at the Tamarind Theatre.

Beginning with her frustrated mother in “Are You Happy?,� Wilkie considers how people don’t really use words to mean what they say.

“Rabbit Tears� is about Wilkie’s hysteria over losing a sentimental hand puppet. Taking on a more macho persona, Wilkie considers how rugby is a natural sport for women and part of the “Simple Joys� of life. “Hair Trigger� examines the camaraderie of tragedy and a renewed appreciation of life. As a plain-spoken elderly woman who “Never Saw the Ocean,� Wilkie recounts a woman’s 12-hour journey to the beach. Wilkie ends with a sad but eloquent piece, “Permanent Marker,� detailing how music tied her father to his alcoholic dad and how Wilkie was tied to her paternal grandfather by a compulsion to perform.

Director Jane Lynch moves Wilkie seamlessly through these pieces, creating a subtle flow. Wilkie isn’t a hyperkinetic performer with exaggerated emotions and larger-than-life problems. Rather she presents herself as an average person reflecting on life: its possibilities, its obstacles and the everyday follies of people.

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* “Are You Happy?,� Tamarind Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. Mondays-Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 10. $12. (213) 658-4060. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.