Meeting Your Maker
The Edge Project's Duel Pardoning at Playwright's Workshop Theatre
****1/2 (out of *****)
Mark S.P. Turvin
(w) 965-1021  (h) 894-5443
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@asu.edu

	In recent weeks, there has been an influx of good theatre in 
the valley. Beyond the inevitable holiday-themed shows, solidly 
scripted, performed and presented alternative and original theatre 
pieces abound. Through December 16th, Playwright's Workshop 
Theatre's Edge Project is presenting a show without syrupy songs, 
sugarplum fairies and merry-old elves. Duel Pardoning is, instead, 
a taut psychological drama that hits hard, hits fast, and throws a 
few curves in the process. It may not be holiday fare, but that 
doesn't stop it from being solid and impressive theatre 
nonetheless.
	The Edge Project is a resident group of playwrights at 
various levels of learning their craft, working with a base of 
performers also involved in an acting workshop. Their offerings 
have always been hit or miss, with several solid performances and 
a few duds mixed in. 
	Brenda Edwards, a nine-year veteran of both the acting and 
writing sides of the project, is one of their long-time standards, 
and opens their season with a play that indicates the progression 
of her learning through her years with the group. While there are 
a few moments where this original script drags, overall, this 
psychological prison drama is a solid and entertaining mind game 
which has the benefit not just of a great script, but awesome 
direction, interwoven performances and a great visual use of the 
small blackbox space.
	Jere Luisi has directed the three impressive actors to use 
their double-edged dialogue like weapons. He has blocked them 
through the spartan and foreboding jail cell set in a 
choreographed dance of strike and retreat. With the use of a 
painted line on a floor seperating a desk and chair from a stool, 
surrounded on all sides by one-way mirrors, industrial doors and 
aluminum bars, Mr. Luisi has created an arena where the two 
contestants, a clinical psychologist and her subject, a convicted 
murderer, poke and probe at eachother, feeling eachother out for 
weaknesses. Balancing this bizzarre dance is the relationship 
between the genius/murderer and his friend, a slimy and base 
jailmate. 
	As Linda, the relentless psychologist, Michelle Konevich 
gives a spectacular performance. She has the rare quality of 
establishing her character as much through her silences and 
reactions as through her sharpened questions and responses. 
Raymond Shurtz does very well as Don, her brilliant societal 
outcast patient. Their dialogue together is often delivered with 
the staccatto accuracy of a tommy gun. There were some moments 
where Shurtz faltered in his physicallizations and second act 
dialogue, but never enough to irrevocably break the fluid pacing 
the two had developed. Tonny Trapasso's Cain, Don's fellow 
jailbird, gives a calibanian performance that is at once 
disgusting and intriguing. The script is full of points and 
counterpoints, and is constructed very meticulously, allowing the 
actors to shine. 
	Messrs. Shurtz', Trapasso's and Luisi's set and lighting 
design added even more levels to the production, though some of 
the color choices may have been a bit too arty and others too 
obvious. Considering the facilities available, though, this is a 
very minor quibble.
	The script ran into a small bit of trouble at the conclusion, 
where more time may have been taken after the twists had been 
revealed, but the emotional height that Ms. Edwards had brought 
the script to almost compensated for that extended finish. As 
polished as this script was, there were still a few minutes of 
dialogue that could have been pared and still retained the 
momentum and tension of the piece. Also, there are two specific 
literary allusions integral to the plot that could give the 
audience trouble if they are not familiar with them. Considering 
the drama that this script generates, though, these few hitches 
are more than compensated for by the oneupmanship these three 
characters take part in.
	Despite the show being a general downer, there is so much 
interesting happening on so many different levels that make this 
show another must-see this holiday season.

Production Details:
Duel Pardoning by Brenda Edwards
The Edge Project
Playwright's Workshop Theatre, Phoenix
279-5151
December 1st-December 16th, 1995

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