In Mixed Company's The Vampires at PlayWright's Theatre
(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 10/8/99 Corrected for factual error 10/10/99
(out of )The board members and artistic crew of In Mixed Company have been busy this summer. Two of their original founding members, Katie McFadzen and D. Scott Withers, have stepped back from direct duties to become members of the Artistic Advisory Board, while local actor Mike Prindiville has taken over as Managing Director. In the process, and purely by accident, according to Artistic Director Kevin Kerrigan, they have countered last season's somewhat mainstream presentations with three productions that will prove to be more challenging and avant garde. The first play of their millennial season, The Vampires by Harry Kondoleon, establishes this move back to original intents from the minute the lights come up on the tackily-appointed gothic living room.
Don't expect Vlad the Impaler, or a caped-and-fanged figure to greet you. The Vampires of Mr. Kondoleon's script only occasionally feast on blood. This is a more life-sucking group. Each of the six characters collected has dark secrets and intense longings and hatreds for the others around them. The first couple, CC and Ian, who live in this tastelessly decorated abode, are posers and pseudo-everythings. The second couple, Pat and Ed, are well-off, but desperate to buy the mystique of class. Their daughter, Zivia, is a despondent Goth who is troubled over her little brother's sudden disappearance four years prior. Ed and Ian are brothers, but mirror images, as Ed has aspirations of art to take him away from his job as a carpenter, and Ian, who is the more intellectual of the two, drifts aimlessly between professions (most recently, as a theatre critic who lambasted Ed's first patriotic playscript) while spending his brother's money. Into this booby-trapped environment comes CC's friend, Porter, the leader of an ashram who will try to save poor Zivia. Confused? Don't worry, so is most of the audience and at least half of the cast.
Director db Bailey has come out of a self-imposed year-and-a-half sabbatical to bring order to this darkly comic, absurdist script. There are many relevant interpretations for this odd piece, and Mr. Bailey has decided on presentational acting mixed with realistic combat to drive home the messages of the play. While at first, the acting style is jarring, it begins to make sense pretty quickly after the first nefarious neck-biting takes place. Expect to get lost a couple of times in the piece, but also expect to laugh a lot, and catch a few gems of satire about the precepts of art, intellect, success, and happiness.
The cast, save with one minor exception, does a very good job of going with the absurdity of the piece. The best performance comes from Kristin K. Hailstone as out-of-her-element housewife Pat. She plays somewhat straight, which shades and layers her performance to add extra elements of humor and pathos, but also manages to allow the craziness to overtake her, which makes her final transition a joy to watch. Also great in their roles are Martha Brooks as the ditzy pseudo, CC, and Alicia Sutton in an utterly believable performance as jaded Gen-X'er, Zivia. Ms. Brooks alternates between shrewish and seductive at the drop of a hat, and Ms. Sutton does such a good job as the disenfranchised early teen that her subsequent transformation in the second act is that much more spooky and disturbing.
Very solid performances come from Golan Ramras as the slowly disintegrating Ian and Doug Wasbotten as interloper Porter. Mr. Ramras gives an even presentation of his pseudo-intellectual character, and balances haughtiness with wimpiness. Mr. Wasbotten and Mr. Bailey have chosen to take Porter over-the-top, and this works as a balance to the piece, giving a warning of where this play is heading. The only slight disappointment comes from Bruce Laks as carpenter/playwright Ed, whose performance is the complete opposite of Mr. Wasbotten, staying grounded even through the absurd ending, not following the lead of the others.
The visual elements of the piece are up to the high standards of IMCo. Scenic Designer Michael P. Brooks has done it again, recreating trailer-trash Gothic in perfect detail, from the wallpaper to the ticky-tacky modern furniture. While there were some problems in running that will probably iron themselves out with more performances, David Vaught's lighting is impressive considering the constraints of the space. Dawn McDonald has captured the characters well in her costumes, Bill Osborne's sound works well, and Kristen Pierce has captured the world of the piece with her Properties Design.
This flight of fancy indicting American values, family values, intellectual values, and everything else it can plunge its fangs into, can be confusing and obscure. Going with the humor and bite of the piece is the best bet, and a good omen for IMCo's upcoming season.
Production Details:
The Vampires by Harry Kondoleon
In Mixed Company - inmixed@inmixed.com
PlayWright's Theatre, Phoenix
(480) 834-3032
October 7th - October 30th, 1999