The Coming World
Written by Christopher Shinn
Directed by Azar Kazemi
at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston (map)
thru Aug 17 | tickets: $20 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
Read review
The water is lukewarm in the world to come
The Blind Owl presents
The Coming World
Review by Clint May
Shorelines are a handy dramatic metaphor. Symbolic of the dividing line between the solid and the protean, Playwright Christopher Shinn has placed the entirety of The Coming World at a small pier on the beach of an unknown east coast town. Many lines are drawn, blurred, crossed and eroded in this place. Perhaps the simple length of planks and poles at the center is actually a truncated bridge—moving from the known land to the vast unknown that is the world to come. As talented as young Shinn—author of Four and Other People—has shown to be, this effort is a strange, muddled milieu with an oddly soap operatic quality unbecoming of his skill. The Blind Owl—back from a long hiatus—likes to take on challenging works. Unfortunately the flaws in World appear intrinsic.
As in Lay Me Down Softly, there’s an inherent problem of dramatic thrust that isn’t fully resolved. All primary actions take place out of our view, and we deal with the fallout through lengthy exchanges. Large time jumps over four scenes leave the audience struggling to piece together events as the information is parsed to us. Dora (Aislinn Kerchaert) is trying to reconcile lingering feelings for her shiftless ex Ed (Alex Hardaway) as he tries to get his life pulled from a tailspin of addiction and bad decisions. Following a rather larger than usual bad choice involving a drug exchange gone wrong—which Dora surmises was most likely a setup—he concocts a scheme to rob the Blockbuster* in which she is happily employed to repay the debt. He relies on her lingering attraction to him to gain compliance, but of course, his plan does not go smoothly. Drawn into the disastrous aftermath is his twin brother Ty (also Hardaway), a wealthy, intelligent and more sensitive man. Throughout the production, they all reference the night they met at a bar. Slowly, long held truths are revealed that rewrite past actions.
I understand the need to keep the bald truth of the events hidden from the audience. If we actually saw what was happening, we’d be able to make up our own minds about their veracity. By denying us access, Shinn gives us only unreliable narrators to construct them. Appropriate as such a conceit might be when exploring truth and concealment, I found myself constantly half-focused on trying to reinterpret the referenced events when each new fact was revealed and less able to remain in the moment. The game grows old fast, and many twists are telegraphed.
Complicating matters, Hardaway is unable to individuate the difference between Ty and Ed enough to make them as vastly distinctive as they purport to be, nor does he summon enough masculine energy for Ed, which means he feels more like the vulnerable Ty throughout. It would be a perfect role for an ‘Aaron Paul via Jesse Pinkman’ type of actor. Kerchaert shows real heart, and her performance is totally nuanced and believable even when Dora drifts into the melodramatic at the climax. Still, it’s hard to muster the requisite energy to care about these people or their plight in the mere 60 minutes we exist in their chemistry-less presence. The Coming World wants to tackle issues of class and honesty but falls short, relying too much on tropes to be terribly original. There are some engrossing moments of dialog that echo some of Shinn’s inspiration (Eugene O’Neill is referenced by the playwright in the program), but it’s not enough to make this rise to the level of his best work.
Artistic Director Azar Kazemi directed the exotically complex piece Crave as one of Blind Owl’s inaugural outings. That piece actually stands out with more clarity and audacity compared to World, which has only the appearance of depth while similarly weaving a web of dialog. As the fledgling Owl steps out off its nest and shakes of its wings, it’s bound to falter a bit. Let’s hope they recover and soar.
Rating: ★★
The Coming World continues through August 17th at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased through BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More info at TheBlindOwl.org. (Running time: 60 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Janine Pixley
artists
cast
Alex Hardaway (Ed, Ty), Aislinn Kerchaert (Dora)
behind the scenes
Azar Kazemi (director), Elizabeth Fiala (stage manager), Jacob C. Schuler (dramaturg), Daniel Friedman (lighting design), Vada Briceno (master electrician), Sadie Tremblay (sound technician), Janine Pixley (photos)
14-0803
