All The Rage August 1, 2008

RogerLakins

At the opening of the play, I was reminded of the first scene of “Chicago,” the dead body of the intruder who turns out not to be an intruder at all. As the play unfolds, it can be taken at surface value and enjoyed as a rather wacky interweaving of lives of widely disparate people, or it can be seen as a haunting statement on the anger we are all trying to manage and the rage that can find violent venting all too easily in a society where guns are more often found in homes than garlic presses, apple slicers or egg cups.

Mr. Reddin writes very well; there is no doubt of that. Daryl Boling and Brian Otano, as director and assistant, have done a wonderful job in pacing the work and bringing the best out of the very talented cast. Ann Bobby is fascinating to watch. Her character is Helen, wife of an insanely jealous husband, who is finally driven from her marriage by his murderous act toward his business partner. Throughout the play, Helen goes through a few metamorphoses and does them all very convincingly. Hers is probably the most challenging role of the play and Ann Bobby is sublime. The performance space is very intimate, and there were times when I am sure that I was not the only member of the audience tempted to reach out and comfort Helen.

Greg Stuhr is Helen’s jealous, rage-aholic husband Warren. This character is far less static than the first act would lead us to believe and Stuhr brings him off quite nicely. Peter Reznikoff is tickling and charming as the flamboyant eccentric who seeks a life that eschews noise and all the hurly burly of the outside world. He is able to stir a certain sympathy for his character when his very rigid adherence to his principles causes his financial ruin.

If you are going to treat the subject of guns and violence, you need some cops. Reddin conjures up two. The first is Tyler, a wise, older cop with respect for the law that transcends his frustration with the system, who retires from active duty shortly after the play begins and Agee, a youngish officer who has very little problem with “situation” ethics. In these roles, Steve Deighan and Medina Senghore play beautifully together. Rich Fromm and Benjamin Jaeger-Thomas play a gay couple with more secrets than the audience can guess.

One big surprise for me was the performance of Jeffrey Plunkett as Tennel. I had known Jeff in real life as a friend of friends for the past three years, but never seen him act. When he was going down to Sarasota last winter, I recommended that some friends living there let me know what they thought. They reported that he had been nominated for best actor of the Gulf Coast Theater Season and thought his work in a serious play was outstanding. Based upon their recommendation and the erudition and insight into the literature of the theater he has shown in conversations over the years, I was expecting an aristocratic, well tempered performance. What I was not expecting was one of the most up to, but not over, the top comedic performances I have ever seen. As written, the character of Tennel is a late bloomer, seeking to break the shackles of restraint and business in order to pursue romance and a deeper life. This innocent, naïve character would break your heart completely were he not written and played with such humor.

Rounding out the cast are two characters whom I find it difficult to mention. They are that despicable. I have to remember that they are fictional characters and that Ryan Michael Jones and Laura Schwenninger are just two very gifted actors who bring them to life. I don’t care. They frighten me. How about checking them out and let me know if they make you want to stay away from them, too? See this show. It is really, hauntingly fine.