What I liked
The ensemble cast here is perfection. This piece is a delicate balance of true, heartfelt affection and familiar stereotypes. The types may seem familiar, but this cast never allows them to feel like clichés. We are familiar with the motherly overseer and the surprisingly callous officer, the blunt best friend, the questioning guy afraid to follow his heart and afraid of what it has already cost him, the sympathetic investigator and the dramatically sincere wiser-than-God friend of all. The cast infuses such humanity and humor into each of these relationships, the entire community thrives with a love and energy that is admirable – may we all be so lucky to have such support in our daily lives.
The piece is inspired by various aspects of the PULSE nightclub shootings and uses that incident as a backdrop while exploring how years of social conditioning can affect all of us in unexpected ways. The writing is strong, particularly in the moments of family conflict that reveal hidden agendas and emotions that surprise the audience as it surprises the characters themselves. When a young man asks, “What are you so afraid of?” he embodies the sorrow, confusion and anger we all feel knowing that there was no point to this tragedy… and there will be no point to the tragedies that will inevitably follow.
Key to the success of this show is subtle sound design and lighting design. All elements come together nicely here.
The final moments of emotional realization and horror leave the audience as grief-stricken as the characters on stage.
What I didn't like
To be honest, this is one of the strongest shows I have seen at Fringe this year. The only fault I had is a few characters could have projected a bit more, the softest lines of dialogue were sometimes lost.
My overall impression
This is rewarding, powerful theater. A powerful drama worth fitting into your schedule, this is sad, penetrating stuff!
