Fault Lines
Written by Rebecca Louise Miller
Directed by Dennis Frymire
at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee (map)
thru June 1 | tickets: $15 | more info
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Strong performances propel searing drama
Broken Road Theatre Company presents
Fault Lines
Review by Kat Hey
Fault Lines is the searing retelling of the abduction and subsequent murder of Polly Klaas in 1993. The media maelstrom that ensued was the first of its kind on a national scale. It happened in Petaluma, California where the Flower-Children-turned-Establishment sought to build a liberal community. It was the model of the American good life and became a symbol of the cautionary tale. I remember the little girl’s picture in an MTV video by Soul Asylum at the behest of actress Winona Ryder who grew up in Petaluma. The irony is that the group’s album was titled “Grave Dancer’s Union” and made its debut in 1992 a year before the tragedy. The media danced all over the lawns of Petaluma while unbeknownst to anyone the child was killed three days after her abduction and buried not far from where they stood.
Taking place twenty years after the murder on the eve of the killer’s execution, Playwright Rebecca Louise Miller tells the story from the point of view of three girls who were at a slumber party, frozen in terror as their friend was taken on her birthday. Bethany (Scottie Caldwell) has written a letter to the other two survivors inviting them to be together for the occasion. Caldwell shines as the nervous and justifiably neurotic mother who lays claim to the good life but has ten locks on the door. She first welcomes Kat (Annie Hogan), who is riding out the next in a series of lifelong difficulties. Hogan is both funny and seething with anger in a finely honed performance. Hogan’s Kat rides on a razor’s edge, supported by wine and free flowing Xanax.
Rachel (Katherine Schwartz) is the final piece of the triad. Schwartz is beautifully expressive and gives a golden performance as the survivor who makes a career out of saving other children. Schwartz’ eyes give silent dialog to Rachel’s inner pain.
Kat is deeply resentful of Rachel and to a lesser extent Bethany as well. The dialog is no holds barred as the week unfolds leading up to the execution. As the women share their lives over an endless supply of Northern California wine, their inner lives are laid bare to heal the guilt of being survivors. The layers peel back to ask the questions that have no answers. They have been reliving that night with each waking moment. We find that none of their attempts at healing have worked. Bethany lives in a fortress and has returned with new fervor to her religion of origin. Caldwell breaks open the character when it is revealed that she still has an imaginary friend that she shares secrets to – that being the dead child Nina, still twelve years old and playful.
Rachel has gone to shocking extremes to assure that the same horror never befalls her. Her armor is the foundation dedicated to Nina that only deepens Kat’s resentment. Rachel is accused of profiting from the death of a friend by being a member of the media circus. She has made a promise to fellow journalist Grayson (Sam Fain) that she will ask the girls to tell their stories of what happened that night. Fain is good as the journalist who keeps his word and presents a chance at love for Rachel. It is bittersweet to see how the crime reaches into others’ lives, as Grayson becomes collateral damage.
The scenes leading up to the climax are charged with anger and pain. Caldwell is astounding as her character Bethany proposes the most radical means of healing - forgiveness and being there for the killer at his execution. Kat and Rachel form a new bond when they realize that it is not to witness his demise. Hogan and Schwartz speak for the liberal community who feel justified pulling the switch on such a heinous criminal.
Fault Lines examines both the depth and length of childhood pain and the fact that sometimes there is no definitive solution to easing our suffering. No matter the length of life, there is never enough time and there is no longer such a thing as private grief as we witness lives lived for the camera. I highly recommend this play. When going, be prepared to ponder some hard questions about life in a world getting ever smaller. The subject matter may be difficult for those under 17, but it would lead to a conversation of depth and meaning.
Rating: ★★★★
Fault Lines continues through June 1st at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $15, and are available online at BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at BrokenRoadTheatre.com. (Running time: 85 minutes without intermission.)
Photos by Angelica Diaz
artists
cast
Scottie Caldwell (Bethany), Annie Hogan (Kat), Katherine Schwartz (Rachel), Sam Fain (Grayson)
behind the scenes
Dennis Frymire (director), Kelly Butler (production and stage manager), Kris Kontour (scenic design, lighting design), Dan Caffrey (sound design), Kari Warfield (scenic painter), Angelica Diaz (photos)
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