Down the Rabbit Hole
This avant-garde, dark comedy is written by Caryl Churchill
and directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe.
It is playing at their space, 823 SE Grant St., through June 1st. For more information, go to their site at www.shaking-the-tree.com or call
503-235-0635.
We all have dreams, visions, fantasies, but only writers are
fully capable of putting those thoughts before an audience. It can be cathartic for the author and an
eye-opener, perhaps, for a viewer/reader.
In this case, we have visions of, perhaps, the collapsing of the old
world, or is it the birth of a new one?!
Or, just maybe, you will see other possibilities….
We have before us, what appears to be a setting on a patio
area of what seems to be a pleasant summer day.
Three mature ladies, close friends (Jane Bement Geesman, JoAnn Johnson
and Lorraine Bahr), appear to be having tea (Mad-Hatter’s Tea Party comes to
mind), and reminiscing about past events in their lives. Into this comfortable assortment of ladies,
appears a neighbor (a dark version of Alice?), Mrs. Jarrett (Jacklyn
Maddux). She is marginally accepted into
the pack. And then the fun begins….
It seems they all have their little secrets. One has an inordinate fear of cats; another
feels isolated, possibly preferring it, from the rest; and one is haunted by
the death of a loved one in an extremely brutal manner. But the neighbor tops the cake for dramatic
overtones. She has visions of a
destructive force beyond any of our imagination…a vision of Hell, itself,
perhaps, as she relates this only to the audience.
The outcomes of all these diatribes you’ll have to see for
yourself, as there is no linear story to speak of. But the performances of these four actors,
especially their monologues, are worth the price of admission alone! And Merwe appears to be an actor’s director,
as she deftly leads them through the pauses, as well as the rages, all pointing
to something just beyond our grasp.
I recommend this show, especially for
the performances. If you do choose to
see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.
--DJS
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