How How Why Why Why?

I originally chose to see this play because of the poster of a flying Dachshund, and it doesn't hurt that the tickets are $10 at the Seattle Repertory Theater. In any event, maybe it's because we hail from the same state, or his shrewd self-deprecation or acumen for storytelling, or because, by virtue of my new job, I get to take care of folks like him, but I really enjoyed "How How Why Why Why". Kevin Kling, a regular contributor to NPR who likens himself to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, was born with a left arm abnormality and, to add insult to injury (or vice versa, as it were) sustained a motorcycle accident in 2001, rendering his right side paralyzed. He tells the story of his rehabilitation, coinciding with our nation's recovery; illustrating his physical trials (including a funny story for the title of the play) and the pain he endured and joy he ultimately experienced, culminating in a week's preparation for a cocktail weenie and tears over the taste of an apple after a year of a TPN. He paints a picture of his childhood and my home; from the dry wit of the people to the farmland I may as well have grown up on, to that fateful intersection of Lake and Lyndale where his accident occurred. His anecdotes are spot-on, endearing, Prairie Home Companion-esque. Twangy-but-clear Simone Perrin, mostly on accordion, peppers the show with greats like Nina Simone's (Willie Nelson's, Rosie Thomas's) "Let it Be Me" and throughout the evening, the author looks over in admiration, closes his eyes, smiles, and nods his head in approval. "How How Why Why Why" is a story of hope, of recovery, of perspective, joy and regret; a reminder that we don't choose our fate, and, like a Dachshund, to have a "can do attitude" even if you're in a "can't do body".