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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Peer Reviews
Strangers/Extranjeras By Jennifer Thalman Kepler and
Charity Thompson Reviewed by Craig Nolan Highley Entire contents are copyright © 2009, Craig Nolan Highley. All rights reserved.
From 2003 to 2004, playwrights Jennifer Talman Kepler and Charity Thompson served as Young Adult Volunteers with the Presbyterian Church (USA) on a year-long mission in Guatemala. Their experiences there have prompted them to create this interesting and moving play that, although not without its flaws, will undoubtedly leave you thinking about it long after you've seen it. The fictionalized story follows the year spent by volunteer Anna in the impoverished Guatemalan home of Lydia. The two characters are played with skill and pathos by two very talented actors, Ashley Rose Stallings and Jaycee Padilla, respectively. These ladies of the stage also shine in various other roles that fill in the rest of the story. The script does feature a few clichés, such as the obvious culture clashes and cheap jokes at the expense of the impoverished characters, but it never loses its believability. Knowing that this is all based on the authors' real-life experiences, a lot of the story's faults can be forgiven. This includes an unexpectedly tragic twist at the end that might otherwise seem a gimmick calculated to get one last cheap emotional wallop before the lights come up. Performance-wise, the show suffers from a very sluggish pace, and appeared to be in need of a bit more rehearsal; both performers stumbled over their lines quite a bit, and there were a lot of lengthy pauses that seemed to serve no dramatic purpose. Hopefully, this is something that may be rectified in future performances. A few humorous voice-overs by Gil Reyes also helped to keep things lively. The Rudyard Kipling is a difficult space to perform a play if it is very tech-heavy, and there were some issues with the lighting; but the set design by Jill Marie Schierbaum was impressive for the venue. Overall, this was a production that overcame its obstacles, however, and left me with a new appreciation for the subject matter. And in the end, that is exactly what the creators, cast and crew set out to do.
Strangers/Extranjeras June 11-20, 2009 Featuring Jaycee Padilla, Gil Reyes, and Ashley Rose Stallings. http://www.lookingforlilith.org/
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