This Flat Earth

This Flat Earth

Playwrights Horizons

April 1, 2018

Photo courtesy of Playwrights Horizons

Lindsey Ferrantino’s This Flat Earth is a powerful, emotional, and timely look at the effect of gun violence and school shootings on adolescents.  The Playwrights Horizons production is stunning.  Director Rebecca Taichman rhythmically builds the action of the scenes to gradually peel back the truths and realities of the characters.  Her cast is magnificent, each finding the heart in the words of these well written characters.  The two level set by Dane Laffrey is slick and clean, keeping the transitions smooth and concise.

Ian Saint-Germain & Ella Kennedy Davis
Photo courtesy of Playwrights Horizons

Julie (played by Ella Kennedy Davis) and Zander (played by Ian Saint-Germain) are preparing to return to school after a shooting took the lives of some of their classmates.  Her father, Dan (played by Lucas Papaelias), helps Lisa (played by Cassie Beck) distribute the popcorn her daughter sold for a fundraiser for the school orchestra.  Lisa’s daughter, who played the cello, was killed in the school shooting.  When Julie and Zander see her, they are unable to look her in the eye.  Julie exhibits other signs of trauma, such as quick responses to loud noises and an emotional response to the sound of her upstairs neighbor, Cloris (played by Lynda Gravatt), playing recordings of cello music.  When Julie is forced to transfer schools, she confronts her trauma by asking simple and direct questions.  She gets answers to most of them, yet one remains unanswered and unresolved.

Lynda Gravatt, Lucas Papaelias, & Ella Kennedy Davis
Photo courtesy of Playwrights Horizons

The actors in this cast create vulnerable characters and honest relationships that are engaging on a deep emotional level.  Ella Kennedy Davis has the perfect balance of spunk and naiveté as Julie.  Ian Saint-Germain is open and sincere as Zander.  Their connection is genuine and delicate.  Lucas Papaelias portrays Dan as a concerned and caring father, focused on providing his daughter with the best structured environment he can.  His intentions are sincere and his shortcomings are real.  Cassie Beck’s Lisa is in the middle of an emotional breakdown due to the unfathomable and violent loss of her daughter.  She creates a true sense of empathy with the audience.  Lynda Gravatt’s portrayal of Cloris, the curmudgeony upstairs neighbor, is strong and grounded.  Her timing and interpretation of the play’s closing monologue is direct, poignant, and perfectly delivered.  Live music performed by cellist Christina H. Kim graciously enhances the production since, as the Cloris explains, the cello expresses the full range of human voice and emotion.  

Given recent events in Florida and the student protests across the country, the timing and relevance of this production is uncanny.  The glimpse into the thoughts of the two teenagers (Julie and Zander) and the pain of the victim’s mother (Lisa) offers a very personal insight that we do not see on news coverage of such events.  This play stops the noise of the protests and political rhetoric and allows us to grasp the emotional distress that comes from direct involvement with violent incidents.  Along with the characters, you question the reasons for their occurrence and understand the strength it takes to move past them.    

Playwright Lindsey Ferrantino
Photo courtesy of Playwrights Horizons

Lindsey Ferrantino has written a masterpiece, reflecting the vulnerability of human experience told through truthful relationships.  The only other play I have seen this season that achieves this with skill and grace is Amy and the Orphans, also written by Ms. Ferrantino.  She is a playwright to keep an eye on.  Her voice is honest, tender, and potent. 

This Flat Earth is playing at Playwrights Horizons through April 29.  You MUST see this play.  Get your tickets today! 

Domenick Danza

The Humans

The Humans

Roundabout Theatre Company

The Helen Hayes Theatre

January 31, 2016

Photo courtesy of The Humans

The Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of The Humans has moved to Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre.  The script, written by Stephen Karam, is brilliantly crafted with strong dramatic action that keeps the audience riveted.  Director Joe Mantello directed a seamless ninety minutes of action that enthralls, entertains, and excites.  The cast of five naturalistically delve into the underlying issues that bubble beneath the surface of continuous holiday conversation.  They then boomerang back with understanding that tenderly defines the family network that the play so aptly and realistically portrays. 

Brigid (played by Sarah Steele) invites her family for Thanksgiving dinner.  She has just moved into a new apartment in lower Manhattan that she shares with her boyfriend, Richard (played by Arian Moayed).  Her mother, Deirdre (played by Jayne Houdyshell), is constantly dropping remarks about Brigid and Richard not being married.  Her father, Erik (played by Reed Birney), has been having trouble sleeping and shares one of his disturbing nightmares.  Her sister, Aimee (played by Cassie Beck), is suffering from gastric colitis, has recently broken up with her longtime partner, and is being let go from her law firm.  Momo, her grandmother (played by Lauren Klein), is suffering from dementia and violent outbursts.  The “normal” family holiday stress drives the dinner conversation, revealing a few serious emotional scars.  The evening culminates in an announcement that shakes the foundation and security of this close family unit.

Sarah Steele, Arian Moayed, & Jayne Houdyshell
Photo courtesy of The Humans

This is a true ensemble piece with five strongly developed characters.  Each one carries a storyline of their own.  It is their careful and deliberate intertwining that makes the play engaging.  All the actors are fully committed and create a web of complex relationships that are realistic, truthful, and endearing.  The set, by David Zinn, is an ingenious split level design that effectively allows action to be viewed simultaneously.  The lighting, by Justin Townsend, and sound, by Fitz Patton, create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense that builds as the play reaches its climax.  

Photo courtesy of The Humans

The Humans is performed without an intermission.  There is no late seating and the notice in the program says, “If you leave your seat for any reason during the performance, you will not be permitted to return.”  Rightly so.  The action of this play should not be interrupted once it begins… and should not be missed.  Get a ticket today!

Domenick Danza