Planet Earth Theatre's Raised in Captivity
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 2/5/99
(out of )Contemporary American playwright Nicky Silver is the '90s answer to Christopher Durang. There are many notable similarities to substantiate this claim: both write biting satire and hilarious, over-the-top comedy; both are relentlessly consumed with their families, and most notably with their mothers; both write from an urban viewpoint; both have homosexual themes in their work; and most importantly, both writers create plays that have a sense of historical urgency, the belief that what shaped us is what will keep confining us, until we recognize these forces and liberate ourselves from them. Last season, In Mixed Company produced another of Mr. Silver's works, The Food Chain, a script with which I was not as impressed. This season, the newly established Planet Earth Theatre, and director Ben Brittain, are presenting one of Mr. Silver's better scripts, Raised in Captivity, and showing that Phoenix is finally ready to support two (or three, counting The Ensemble Theatre) solid theatre companies offering off-the-wall and non-mainstream works. Thanks to the heavens for this.
Mr. Silver's world is a thoroughly modern, yet somewhat off-kilter
one. The play centers on a brother and sister as they deal with
their unemotional mother's death by shower head. Sebastian is
a gay man who is still reeling from the loss of his lover eleven
years before, in the midst of a letter exchange with a convicted
murderer, who finds that his therapist, Hillary, is a tad crazier
than he. His sister, Bernadette, is a loopy housewife who must
deal with her own self-doubts, as well as her husband Rip's sudden
desire to change careers. The journey of self-discovery and social
awareness that these two siblings make is an odd and interesting
one, highlighted by a pregnancy, a planned trip to Africa, a near-fatal
slashing, and a ghostly visit. While the script does get a bit
heavy and somewhat less comedic in the second half, the comedy
of the first act and the themes that runs throughout make this
a worthwhile show.
Highlighting this interesting script are a solid directing debut
by Mr. Brittain, four impressive performances, and a solid technical
presentation. Mr. Brittain has done an excellent job of capturing
the pacing necessary to propel this satirical show, and aided
in layering and depth of four of the five performances. His clever
staging in the small space help to keep the show flowing and visually
interesting. There are moments in the second act that seem to
lag a bit, although the sudden textual turn from comedic to heavily
dramatic is a difficult one, and even a seasoned director may
have found problems keeping the breakneck pacing consistent through
these parts.
The cast, including two people who play two parts apiece, is generally
top-notch. As siblings Sebastian and Bernadette, D. Scott Withers
and Ginny Harmon shine. Mr. Withers' earnest portrayal
of a man torn by upbringing and loss is the balance required to
keep comedy and tragedy in check. Ms. Harmon, always the comedic
superstar, is a bit more subdued in her role, though this actually
helps her presentation of this torn character.
The tour de force performances of the evening come from
Martha Brooks and Doug Wasbotten. Ms. Brooks plays
the self-mutilating psychiatrist, Hillary, as well as the ghostly
Miranda, and while she does a superb job in both difficult roles,
she also has fun with them and makes them look easy, an impressive
trio of accomplishments. As convicted murderer Dylan and male
prostitute Roger, Mr. Wasbotten is hilariously and frighteningly
deadpan. Though there isn't quite as much of a clear differentiation
between the two roles as Ms. Brooks is able to make for hers,
there is also a textual reason for this, and can be allowed as
a character choice rather than a confusing mistake.
The only disappointing performance of the evening comes from Radford
J. Mallon as dentist-turned-way-too-modern-artist Kip. Mr.
Mallon does not shine as the others do, nor seem as invested in
the production as the character calls for. He does not extend
a visible character arc, and seems pretty flat through much of
the show, making his important choices later in the play seem
random and inconsequential.
The design staff reads like a Who's-Who of local theatre, and
it shows in the production. Everyone's Resident Set Designer,
Michael Brooks, has acknowledged that less is more in this
production, using furniture pieces alone to define the space.
Very talented actor Richard Trujillo has taken a turn as
Lighting Designer, and done a very good job creating different
moods and effects in the small space. Local actor and director
Matthew Mazuroski has designed the sound, and given many
fitting, though at times, some obvious, music choices that help
to set the tone of the evening. Finally, Costume Designer Dawn
McDonald did a great job at pegging each of the characters
costuming needs.
The phoenix-like return of Planet Earth Theatre is a great blessing,
and one can only hope they can continue attracting so many talented
people and offer cutting edge theatre as they have with this production.
Production Details:
Raised In Captivity by Nicky Silver
Planet Earth Theatre, Phoenix
(602) 252-8497
February 5th - February 27th, 1999