A bold theatrical thriller
Tympanic Theatre presents
Ruby Wilder
Review by Anuja Vaidya
A gripping tale of revenge is expertly turned on it’s head in Tympanic Theatre’s Ruby Wilder. The play, written by Brooke Allen, takes you into a world of mind games, slowly unfolding the truth behind the night that Ruby Wilder’s sister was killed.
The play recounts in one fluid motion the present night – in which Ruby Wilder finds herself caught in a dangerous situation with the man who she believes killed her sister – and the past, namely her sister’s death, her relationship with her sister and her relationship with her fiancé.
But we find out there is much more to the story than the opening of the play belies. The plot twists and turns as new aspects of Ruby, her sister and the night of her sister’s death emerge. The play’s conclusion does not leave you with the satisfying sense of getting even that most revenge-driven plots afford but rather leaves you unsettled.
Like any thriller worth it’s salt, Ruby Wilder has an extremely well constructed script. It throws you headlong into the action. Initially it is a little disorienting, seeing as the plot moves from the present to the past at a moment’s notice. But it draws you in so quickly that the shifts in time aren’t jarring. The script is taut because of which this production, which could have been extremely confusing, isn’t. The playwright keeps the play focused by taking one incident in a woman’s life and showing us how it affects her and those around her while explaining how the incident took place.
Paige Sawin is the troubled but courageous Ruby Wilder. While she starts out a little shaky, she warms up and brings Ruby, with all her good and bad, to life. Sean Thomasplays the serial killer, Ozzie, with aplomb. Thomas is effortlessly sinister as the calm and composed killer. The sense that Ozzie is a very disturbed man comes through without Thomas having to resort to hysterics. Joshua Davis does a great job as the narrator who helps move the action along and brings the plot to a close, even when the characters are resisting the story he is telling. He manages to pull off moments of humor in a play that leaves hardly any room for it. He also has some wonderful ‘meta’ moments too, as he talks to the characters and gets involved in the action all the while recognizing that he is merely a device.
The only issue I have with the production is its use of plastic sheets. The actors have to lift them up at certain points of the play and even walk over them to come on stage. The rustling that ensues is extremely distracting. In a play that is so gripping, this becomes annoying.
The tension on stage is palpable, and with only two rows of seats in Teatro Luna’s Cabaret Studio you are almost thrust onto the stage itself. This bold play is not for the faint hearted. There is depiction of drug use and insinuations of disturbing violence. But it is one of those rare productions where a fantastic cast and a fantastic script come together. It takes you out of your own skin and forces you on an emotional rollercoaster ride along with the characters on stage. When it’s all over and the lights come back on, there is that moment in which you wonder where you are. That, for me, is the mark of a play worth going to see.
Rating: ★★★½
Ruby Wilder continues through October 28th at the Teatro Luna Cabaret Studio, 3914 N. Clark (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 7pm. Tickets are $15, and are available online through BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TympanicTheatre.org. (Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Kim Schechter
artists
cast
Joshua Davis (The Narrator); Alex Kyger (Harper); Paige Sawin (Ruby); Sean Thomas (Ozzie);Christine Vrem-Ydstie (Junebug)
behind the scenes
James D. Palmer (director); Joshua Ellison (asst. director); Casey Bentley (stage manager, props); Chris Acevedo (violence design); Dustin Pettegrew (set); Brian Berman (lighting); Daniel Caffrey (production manager, props); Maxwell Shults (sound designer, original music); Chrissy Weisenburger, Charlotte Mae Ellison (costumes); Emmett Rensin (dramaturg); Kim Schechter (photos)
