Thought
provoking A BRIGHT NEW BOISE at Dobama
Samuel D.
Hunter, the author of A BRIGHT NEW BOISE stated, “The baseline of a lot of my
plays is the struggle for meaning and also the struggle for connection between
characters. I think it’s also
definitely a product of my--not to be pretentious about it--but my spiritual
journey.” And that is an excellent
preview of his play that is now in production at Dobama.
To grasp any depth
of meaning from Hunter’s play requires some knowledge of an apocalyptic
Rapture. Literally the term
rapture means “to catch up” or “take away.” In the Christian sense it refers to “being caught up,” such
as “we who are alive and remain will be caught up in the clouds waiting to meet
the Lord.”
In A BRIGHT
NEW BOISE, whose action takes place in a dingy employee break room of an arts
and crafts superstore in Boise, Idaho, and what appears to be a parking lot, we
meet Will. He is a middle-aged man
who applies for and gets a job as a cashier. His past is shrouded with mystery, which is revealed as he
meets the dysfunctional store’s staff.
Each
character seems caught up, suspended by their unusual pasts and uncertain
futures, caught up in their own rapture.
Will, we find out, is fleeing from a scandalous situation in which the
head pastor of a small fundamentalist church, in which Will held a leadership
position, is responsible for the death of one of his young parishioners. Will had a role in the boy’s
interactions with the pastor and, though not accused of any crime, is racked
with doubts and guilt. He
expresses his thoughts and feelings in an on-going blog.
Alex, an
introverted teenage boy, an aspiring musician, suffers from seizures, and hides
inside a hoodie, which takes on the role of his cocoon. He’s constantly threatening to
kill himself if he can’t control the world around him. We find out that he is Will’s son,
given away by his mother’s parents when their unwed daughter disappeared. He has been taken in by an unstable
family in Boise. Alex’s rebellious
“brother” Leroy, also works in the Hobby Lobby, and tries to protect the boy
from his demons, while fighting his own.
Anna, an
attractive, but insecure single young woman drifts from job to job. She hides amid the merchandise at the
end of each day so she can spend time at night in the break room reading, since
her father and brothers don’t approve of her being immersed in trashy books, in
which she finds destruction of the heroine a positive story aspect.
Pauline, the
store’s explosive manager, whose language is peppered with swear words, needs
to be in control to protect against the demise of the store, which protects her
from the loss of purpose in life.
Then there is
the ever-on television monitor showing a satellite feed of two innocuous
corporate talking heads, boosting the company’s products, except for
interruptions when the weather conditions cause a switch to graphic live
surgery of people caught between life and death.
Hunter’s
writing examines themes within a format of social rituals, religious questions,
and personal responsibilities. The
characters are not portrayed as stupid, just unable to understand why they are
who they are and what their lives mean.
Each has a sense of meaninglessness, their own personal Rapture. Will, in particular, is faced
with whether he can rid himself of his guilt and loneliness, and move from his
seemingly unshakable conviction that the Rapture is imminently
approaching. We are left
with the man standing, pleading, “now,” “now,” “now,” waiting for some sort of
sign.
Dobama’s
production, under the focused direction of Nathan Motta, is compelling. The cast is universally strong, the
show well paced, and holds the audience’s attention.
Andrew Deike
is marvelous as Alex. This is an
impressive performance which rips at the soul. Confused, hiding in his hoodie, Alex begs for someone,
anyone to make everything better.
Tom Woodward
is Deike’s acting equal as Will. Initially
controlled to the point of a near void of affect, continually filled with
angst, the performance reaches deep into the soul, exposing fear, tears and
anguish.
Kim Krane
shines as Anna, a wayward waif whose lack of worldliness is hidden in escapes
from reality through reading and fantasizing.
Brian Devers
makes Leroy clearly into a rebel with a cause, many causes. Unfortunately, none
of them are focused enough to lead out of the Hobby Lobby.
Kristy Kruz’s
Pauline, the driven store manager, is clearly both the laugh center written to
relieve the play’s tension, and yet another person caught in the
in-between. She is character
right!
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Though the message,
due to the abstract nature of the concept of Rapture and religious differences
may turn off some viewers, Dobama’s A BRIGHT NEW BOISE, featuring superb acting
and focused directing, is a production well worth seeing!
A BRIGHT NEW
BOISE runs through November 18 at
Dobama. Call 216-932-3396 or
www.dobama.org for tickets.
