Alfonso (Danny J. Gomez) is leaving the hospital when he runs into Lucy (Madison Ferris), who after a few moments of silence, flirts with him. It’s a conversation which quickly shifts from the classic romcom meet-cute to something more serious, with probing questions from Lucy, hesitant answers from Alfonso, and an obvious mutual attraction.
Lucy and Alfonso, it should be noted, both have disabilities. Lucy, a retired jazz singer with her own YouTube channel, suffers from muscular dystrophy, while Alfonso was paralyzed in an accident when he was less than a year old. They each move about via motorized devices and communicate through an Augmentative and Alternative Communication instrument, which they are both adept at using.
The biggest obstacle to a potential relationship is not their respective afflictions, but their surroundings—financial and familial. Alfonso has a full-time job and lives by himself in a fully accessible home, while Lucy lives with her mom Connie (Kyra Sedgwick), sister Jackie (Lily Mae Harrington), and Jackie’s fiancée, Moose (Brian Furey Morabito). Their money situation is so tight they can barely afford a wooden ramp that allows Lucy to move from one area of the apartment to the other. Connie is more than a little overprotective, often treating Lucy as a child and seeing her only possible future as being a greeter at Walmart—an idea Lucy buys into, despite Alfonso’s urging she go back to school and try to find a new purpose in life.
The differences between Lucy and Alfonso’s backgrounds become even more clear when Connie meets Alfonso’s mother Elena (Florencia Lozano) for the first time. The two women try to find a common ground, but it soon becomes apparent their viewpoints regarding their children are so different it may be a gap impossible to bridge.
All The Lessons
“All of Me” stresses the importance of not letting a situation you find yourself in totally define who you are or how you are seen. That holds true whether it’s dealing with a disability, an ongoing sibling rivalry, or a misguided attempt at caring. Hand in hand with this is the need to set and respect boundaries, both in terms of yourself and other people—things like not wanting to be touched by another person unless they ask first, or realizing that just because someone isn’t as skilled as you used to be in a certain area is no excuse to belittle them.
Disabled actors Ferris and Gomez are excellent in their respective roles. Ferris stands out as a woman who lost a significant dream. She finds in Alfonso less of a kindred soul, and more of a man who pushes her to grow. Gomez is strong in the more restrained role of Alfonso, who navigates a possible relationship with Lucy while learning to set new boundaries with Elena, who, as we discover, has her own issues.
Morabito offers some nice comedic relief and common sense as a loving boyfriend to Jackie and a partner-in-crime for Lucy as the two try to earn money for a good cause, albeit through questionable methods. Lozano comes across well in her few scenes as Elena, a well-meaning but slightly too-permissive woman.
Essential to the production are the directorial efforts of Ashley Brooke Monroe. Her work gives the show a crisp, seamless feel, especially when transitioning between sequences. Work by scenic designers Brett Banakis and Edward T. Morris help give the scenes in Connie’s apartment a nicely claustrophobic feel.
With a compelling story and grand gestures that can’t help but bring tears to one’s eyes, “All of Me” takes the premise of two people who meet at different points in their life and turns it into something more than a simple romance.
