Downstairs
by Theresa Rebeck
Directed by Julie Beckman
June 16th ~ July 9th
Presented In The Bullitt Cabaret at ACT
700 Union Street
TICKETS HERE
Downstairs by prolific author Theresa Rebeck is a world premier, thought-provoking family drama presented by Theater 22 in conjunction with ACT’s new play festival Construction Zone.
Downstairs follows the relationship of estranged siblings Irene and Teddy. Teddy has recently taken up temporary lodging in Irene’s basement and is unwelcome by her oppressive husband Gerry.
Attempting to patch over the open wounds of Irene’s marriage, the siblings search for common experiences in their pasts- memories of their mother, favorite foods and the love they shared as children. These attempts to connect produce some of the most endearing moments in the show.
Brandon Ryan is unerringly genuine and heart-stoppingly engaging as Teddy, the wayward younger sibling living in his sister’s basement. He seems to be constantly ready to bolt and the amount of energy he exudes on stage is electric in the audience. We didn’t know whether to be afraid, sympathetic or to egg him on. He effectively held us emotionally hostage throughout the entire show and never once did he falter.
Christine Marie Brown portrays abused wife Irene with a quiet dignity at times and at others, she wheedles, goes above and beyond, mollycoddles and leans in just to hear one positive affirmation from her brother. She has long since learned that it will not come from her marriage. Brown is earnest and honest and her presence on stage was both reassuring and heartbreaking.
John Q. Smith is brutal in his attack on this role. Gerry’s first moment on stage is quiet and dangerous. I felt my panic rise as he stood on the stairs, simply watching and waiting for Teddy to notice him. It was like watching a predator stalk his prey. Simply by standing there, on the stairs, overlooking his domain, I was filled with terror. It is rare for an actor to enthrall and terrorize just by quietly standing, and he clasps this precious position of power steadily throughout the show. Gerry is an overbearing, abusive control freak intent on keeping the status quo- where he is the only one making any decisions – ie withholding job opportunities from Irene under the guise of being “traditional.” Teddy’s presence in Gerry’s house (which actually belongs to Irene) upsets the power balance and that is simply unacceptable.
Director Julie Beckman brilliantly culls together terror and humor and makes the best of a script that can be dark and overwhelming. She relies heavily on Rebeck’s excellent script and the integrity of her actors to keep the dark emotional show watchable and engaging. Her interpretation of the arcs and beats streamed smoothly together.
And shout out to stage designer Robin Macartney for one of the most excellent sets I have seen in a while. The half unfinished basement full of old odds and ends, blankets, a forgotten floral couch, shop sink, electrical conduits and a shop bathroom squeezed gingerly into such a small space is the perfect blend of realistic utilitarian and metaphorical oppression. Lacy and I had to see it up close after the show and took our time pointing out the details like total fan girls.
In a world that can rely heavily on flash and sparkle, T22 is unafraid of tackling complex material and presenting humanizing stories. We are truly lucky to have them amongst our artistic community.
*Be advised that some material in Theresa Rebeck’s Downstairs can be triggering and may potentially distress audience members.
by Jennifer Nöel Klouse
Scary Mary and the Nightmares Nine 
The Pride
Big Bad
My first impression was that Lock, Shock and Barrel had rounded up their friends and started a theatre troupe. Writhing from all sides of the theatre, haunting and scratching, the ensemble slowly assembled into the center of the space. It’s dark. And creepy. But of course these friends aren’t here to terrify you – they break and speak to the audience. They circle the whole audience around for story time in their original history of Little Red Riding Hood. From there, we’re volleyed between hilarity, despair, and grim horror asking the questions “what makes a woman?”, and “what makes a beast?”
Big Bad is an example of a really good idea executed brilliantly. With momentum off of the success of it’s first iteration at Ghost Light’s Battle of the Bards, this production has found a firm footing within the strange and eerie DangerSwitch! universe. The onstage storytellers elaborate a tragic story of several generations of women trying to survive through mixed media, performance art, dance segments, and shadow projection woven all together with keen poetic verse. I can say a lot of things I like about this show, but I really believe that it’s the people who you need to go and see. I heard their director Eddie DeHais one time talking about the basis of clowning, and let me tell you — these clowns run DEEP. With a dedication to their personal story, these artists are performing challenging and provoking material in a way that makes any audience curious for more. In my opinion, I think they’ve invented a perfect set of characters within a wonderfully nightmarish world. I would listen to these guys tell me just about any story. I know they’d do it justice.
Hooded Or Being Black For Dummies
The Fantastic Misadventures of Twisty Shakes
10 Minutes in the Forest 
Caligula
Truthfully, the text of Caligula is not generally one that people smile at. It is heavy, destructive, and at times, hard to watch. Joshua Jon and the team at Arouet however, make this show easier to process and take in as a modern audience. They bring these seemingly unbelievable circumstances into our contemporary world and show us how very, very close we are to this reality. And then, as soon as you have grimaced, they offer up laughs and incredibly beautiful moments that I have found myself replaying in my mind in the days following. These are actors reaching into the depths of insanity here and they do so with aplomb. Luke Sayler reigns supreme as the title role of Caligula, bellowing orders, brainstorming new madness at every turn and right when you think you couldn’t hate him more, he flashes you these unbelievable puppy dog eyes and…maybe we should hear him out? Danielle Daggerty as Caesonia is unstoppable, she begins as a calm, wise voice of reason and by the end of the show, she is almost unrecognizable. There were several times where I just wanted to reach out and hug her. Richard Sean Glen as Helicon is menacinly delightful. Helicon himself has nothing to loose so he indulges Caligula at every request, maybe as a way of surviving but we also get the feeling that he also finds joy in this madness as well. Some of my favorite moments of the show were the two of them scheming, Caligula and Helicon, matching wits back and forth and in a more tender beat later in the show, painting each others nails.
There are many moments of this show that almost, if you aren’t paying attention, come from out of left field. Fights break out, an impromptu interpretive dance piece, a poetry slam- but then also madness, cruelty, chaos, from out of nowhere. But therein lies the beauty of it all. There is order within chaos. We, the survived, the living, have to find it and bring it to the surface. Director (and Arouet Artistic Director) Joshua Jon is doing just that. He has choreographed this unthinkable cruelty, this total destruction of a country, to dance around the most tender moments in this show in order to find a brilliant balance. I was awestruck by the whole production.
A Hand of Talons 
There’s a post that my friends have been sharing on Facebook, called “Reverse Spy Flick.” The premise is simple: take the template of a traditional James Bond spy movie and make a woman the lead character. With A Hand of Talons, Maggie Lee has reversed, transformed and heightened the traditional action genre. The story focuses on Wilhemina Yao, portrayed deftly by Stephanie Kim-Bryan. Wilhemina starts off with a comedic intensity that is beguiling to watch. Kim-Bryan’s face is incredibly elastic, punctuating Lee’s acrobatic lines with an acerbic wit and playfulness. Even more incredible is her transformation in Act II, where she takes on all the bad-assery of any Bond villain.
Wilhemina’s brother, Anders Yao. Ben Burris shines and adds comedic relief as Lawrence Howell, a friend of Anders who is also besotted with Wilhemina. The elegant Mariko Kita breathes life into the complex character of Delphine Yao and Kenna Kettrick serves as Delphine’s attendant Lin Curtis. Kita battles expertly with Delphine’s struggle to remain poised and powerful while at the same time seeking what is best for her family. Kettrick embodies an unparalleled integrity to her character’s sense of service.
Tim Gagne is Kenzo Yao, the man you love to hate because he’s just so terribly handsome and charming. (Think Tom Hiddleston meets Johnny Depp.) Abhijeet Rane rounds out the cast as the amusing and self-deprecating Preston Hodge, a man with an insatiable taste for gambling, who finds himself in a plot of intrigue.
