Review: Bottle Alley Weaves A Powerful Story With WRAITH RADIO

Bottle Alley Theatre once again surprises its audience with their stunning remount of WRAITH RADIO by Chris Fontanes. It’s no secret that I have an affinity for ‘DIY theatre’, there is no other form of entertainment quite like it. Putting a production together without the trappings of traditional modern theatre is an act of will and a labor of love. Few, if any, have done it better than Bottle Alley Theatre and it’s evident that they love their work. 

WRAITH RADIO, written by company founder Chris Fontanes is a truly amazing piece of theatre. The script is a finely crafted puzzle, leaving storytelling bread crumbs along the way, but reserving the last revelation for the final moments. It rivets audience attention and builds its characters through incredibly well written dialogue. Much like the famous box of chocolates, the play allows the audience to interpret what it all means without spoon feeding the story to us. The result is surprisingly beautiful with moments that grab your heart and make you gasp at a revelation. The action takes place in a bunker during a military conflict where characters Wraith, Star, and Jessie are trapped along with a mysterious man in an impeccable black suit. In the bunker is a trove of broadcasting equipment available that Wraith uses in an effort to be rescued. With nothing to do but wait for evacuation, capture, or death, Wraith begins to broadcast music and the musings of her confused, deteriorating mental state. Slowly her tragic reality is relayed by monologues spoken into her microphone, talking to everyone and no one. Not only is the script emotionally powerful, it allows the audience to arrive at their own conclusions about Wraith’s circumstances and the ultimate resolution. Every single audience member walks away with a different idea of what happened.

Director Trace Turner magnificently stages the production in a greenhouse that lends itself to the virtual timelessness of the script. He allows his actors to construct their characters by not over-directing, believe me, it’s hard to make such a finely crafted script look effortless. His choice of in-show music is on point, perfectly placed and helps the audience to catch a glimpse into the character’s minds. The set, designed by Joe Kelly, is wonderfully stark and yet has elements of whimsy that transform the greenhouse into a very real performance space. The sound design by Lauren Kuvet is terrific, with a show that relies so heavily on music, it’s a vital element. Costumes by Zahrah Asha and Remy Joslin are perfectly suited to function in a space where the audience sees everything. 

Kudos to the entire cast for amazing performances. Todd Clark as Death delivers a subtle, but powerful performance, he is fantastic in his firm sincerity. It’s always a pleasure to watch Devin Finn on stage. His Jessie has the perfect mixture of affection and confusion that strikes us directly in the heart. Rosemary McGraw is incredible as Star, her final radio message had me sobbing hopelessly. As the title character Wraith, Cassandra Defreitas, is nothing short of amazing. Every emotion is completely embodied by her face, voice and movement. As the central character she leads the cast with natural grace and steely strength.  

Unfortunately at the time of writing this review, the production has closed, but I sincerely hope that there is another production of WRAITH RADIO somewhere in the future. Far too many amazing original local plays go unpunished, which, in this case, is truly tragic. This beautifully crafted piece deserves to be seen by audiences everywhere.