Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Alligator

Today at lunch, an art book caught my eye - it was about the mythical Green Man.

Tonight I saw a very enjoyable play that featured a scary Green Man.

I'm worried about tomorrow morning.
Will a Green Man accost me without warning?

The play, Alligator, by Jeremy Menekseoglu, was a production of the Brikenbrak Theatre Project, and was directed charmingly by Paul Cosca.



The central character is a young woman with a problem - she's going nuts. She has a pretty good reason, as we eventually learn. Fortunately, she does have a brother and a boyfriend who actually want to help her - if they can just keep from killing each other. The relationships in this production really come alive.

Claire Kander is instantly sympathetic but believably delusional as Velvet. Michael Plummer is awkward and menacing but deeply affectionate as her new boyfriend.

Graham Collins Jenkins is focused and fanatical as her brother, who is an Olympic shooter. Jessica London Shields is incredibly high strung, but likable, as his Olympic gymnast girlfriend.
Finally, playing the Green Man, is Jim Hicks, who finally reveals the human side of the nightmare monster. It's not a good human side, but you recognize it as well within the human capacity for evil.

Can she stare down her monstrous past
and find abiding love at last?

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