My overall impression
I used Rise as a filler for my time between shows on Sunday – but am I ever glad I did. This was the most powerful and moving play I saw all weekend (I saw 6) and I’m still thinking about it and wondering what is going to happen next. The characters were engaging and well acted. I kept seeing a young Annette Bening while watching Gowrie Hayden and was completely taken by surprise by the physicalness of the performances, almost shocking and a little disturbing, though completely appropriate. I have no idea how they didn’t get knocked unconscious for some of those falls. Brett Colbeth was fun to watch, including his opening sermon which was completely believable and one of the reasons I stay away from churches, but I believed his character through the whole performance. My only negative comment was the clock on the wall. I understood it’s relevance when Alexandra commented on the length of time she’d been there, but at the same time I felt myself watching it and keeping pace for when the performance would end. I generally prefer to be lost in a performance with no visible time constraints. It almost kept me from feeling the surprise at the end because I knew when it would end. But other than that, I’d see Rise again and will definitely recommend it to my friends. Bravo!
