A Great Wilderness

June 26-28. Barbara Barrett Theatre.

Whadda Ya Call It? Productions. Directed by Jody Rideout. Written by Samuel D. Hunter.

tickets here.

reviewed by John Avalon.

A Great Wilderness showcases a strong cast of promising actors dipping their toes into more mature themes, often times undermined by the aesthetic choices of this particular production. At its peak moments, the dialogue between characters is perfectly raw and overwhelming, mounting with the panic of a story hurtling towards an unhappy ending. At others, surface level delivery and frozen blocking fail to convince of any deeper understanding or meaning at play. While the show kept attention throughout, the first act remained suspended on one note; and though the second introduced more dimension and shape, it fell victim to the same fallacy that plagues many an evangelical preacher: that volume is the same as – and only route to – a convicting performance. Subtle choices made to enhance a character’s interactions in and reactions to their world were welcome and well-timed when present, and sorely noticeable when absent. These actors do indeed deserve to be trusted with roles of greater gravity, but perhaps with a script that broadens range and fully utilizes their prominent talents without veering outside plausible belief on the audience’s part. Aside from far-reaching age blind casting and tonally jarring musical punctuations, the show takes itself as seriously as the subject matter demands, resulting in a crackling fire refusing to be extinguished.

John Avalon is an opinionated theatregoer in St. John’s.