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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Reviews The Necessary Theatre presents Reviewed by Cory Vaughn Entire contents are copyright © 2009 Cory Vaughn. All rights reserved. The weirdest thing I ever saw opened Friday night at the Rudyard Kipling Theatre. BOOM, by San Francisco-based playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, was nothing like I expected, to say the very least, and even if you forego reading this review and go in blind, as the complete strangers at my table did, you might go about ten minutes or so into the first act and think you know what to expect, only to have the rug pulled out from under you at least twice. I shall tread cautiously to avoid ruining any of the surprises for you. I can say that it's a strangely schizophrenic three-character play. Schizophrenic, because it seems as though the author took a pretty good two-character play and a so-so extended monologue with a tenuous-at-best connection, and randomly decided to combine them by having the third character comment on the first two. The framing device didn't work for me, but the others in attendance Friday night clearly disagreed, and it was hard to tell whether they enjoyed the absurd black comedy of Jules and Jo or the kitschy, fourth-wall-shattering commentary of Barbara more. You be the judge. Jo, a student with pathological sarcasm (feisty Leah Roberts), answers a sex ad on Craigslist and subsequently arrives at the messy basement lab/apartment of marine biologist Jules (Jeremy Sapp) without completely understanding what she’s getting herself into. Little by little, Jules' actual intentions are revealed. Meanwhile, in another dimension exists audience favorite Becky LeCron Poschinger, landing laugh after shameless laugh as Barbara, who, for her own reasons, keeps interrupting the proceedings and breaking the tension with her own brand of self-deprecating humor. The reason for this becomes clear soon enough. This inconsistency of tone and the constant back-and-forth between different styles of humor grows tiresome after a while, but it's the writer's fault and not that of the actors. Sapp and Roberts exude an abundance of chemistry, even if their characters have none. Roberts is particularly effective in keeping Jo's secret hidden just beneath the surface, masking deep emotional wounds with caustic, gutter-mouthed humor like she probably has been for years; by the time the secret comes out, it plays as almost kind of plausible. Normally a very intense dramatic actor, Sapp plays unusually broad here and somehow makes it work for him as the very embodiment of nerddom. Poschinger, in addition to being a gifted comedienne, plays a mean timpani. Director/sound designer Mike Brooks, aided by the stage management of Kala Farineau, the slide designs of Mark Forman and Matt Dobson, and the "lever design" of Joe Cunningham, not only makes sense of the material, but accomplishes what I didn't think was possible: he actually made me not mind the Rud so much! All you other companies that perform there, pay attention; this is how it's done. Brooks places his actors on both stages and occasionally out in the house as well, and no one has ever wrought so much suspense from the front door before! There is no lighting designer credited, probably because you get what you get in the Rud, but the quick lighting changes are a major contributor to both the suspenseful moments and the overall flow of the whole play. There is no prop master credited, either, but whoever it was has stuffed Jules' basement to the gills with crates full of cereal, ramen noodles . . . and tampons, among other less conventional accoutrements of set dressing. This is an intimate and atmospheric production, all centered—believe it or not—around an illuminated aquarium which gives the subtlest performance of all! And yes, Sapp and Roberts were practically in my lap the entire evening; and yes, the seats are still the most uncomfortable in town; and yes, the blocking constraints still mean that you are likely to miss something no matter where you sit (at several points, one actor was standing at the apron, facing upstage and completely obscuring my view of his/her scene partner). But for once, I didn't care. BOOM may not be my favorite play, but I certainly cannot say it was boring, and it has made me reassess my negative attitude toward theatre in the Rud. Congratulations to everyone involved. Except maybe the author. NOTE: The play contains adult language. As always, food and drink are available at the Rud for an extra fee. Call (502) 636-1311 for dinner reservations.
BOOM Remaining performances July 17-18, 24-25 7:30pm at The Rudyard Kipling
422 W. Oak Street
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