RECENT TRAGIC EVENTS: Destiny or Free Will?

Recent Tragic Events

Written by Craig Wright, Directed by Bridget Kathleen O'Leary; Sound Designer, Chris Larson; Stage Manager, Vawnya Nichols; Light Designer, PJ Strachman; Props Designer/Set Consultant, Julie Tideman; Costume Designer, Emily Woods Hogue; House Managers, Jen O'Connor/Melissa Barker

Ensemble: Aimee Rose Ranger (Waverly), Alejandro Simoes (Andrew), Nathaniel Gundy (Ron), Meg Taintor (Nancy)

Performances through March 24 by Whistler in the Dark Theatre at The Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 800-838-3006 or www.whistlerinthedark.com

Life changed in America on September 11, 2001. On September 10, we thought and felt and behaved as we always had; on September 12, we stumbled through our collective, mind-numbing haze, struggling to cope and figure out the shape of our new reality. As Waverly, the protagonist in Recent Tragic Events, says, "I used to wake up and say 'What am I gonna do?' And now, it's 'What's gonna happen to me?'" In that one brief spit of dialogue, playwright Craig Wright encapsulates the new American way of life that we have been muddling through for more than a decade. His 2002 dark, tragi-comic play focuses on a young woman in Minneapolis experiencing the unlikeliest of blind dates while she awaits word from her identical twin sister in New York City.

Whistler in the Dark Theatre and Director Bridget Kathleen O'Leary make excellent use of the intimate Factory Theatre space to create tension and palpable discomfort even though there is little doubt about the outcome of Wright's story. Certainly the watershed aspect of the date in question brings up feelings and memories for anyone old enough to have truly grasped the ramifications of that shattering event. These underlying emotions lay the foundation for how the audience will receive the play, but Wright narrows the scope to consider primarily how it all affected the four people onstage and those who cast their unseen presence into their midst. Although they do not appear, the aura of Waverly's mother (via numerous telephone calls) and sister hover throughout the entire play, further disrupting what can best be described as a fractured get-together.

In addition to putting his characters under a microscope to observe their reactions and coping skills, Wright uses the two acts of Recent Tragic Events to argue both sides of a debate about fate versus free will. In Act One, the frequent sounding of a bell offstage indicates moments when the actors portray a scene in one of two ways, based on the result of a coin toss prior to the show. This device poses the "what if" questions we always ask ourselves after a crisis or an accident. We've all heard a multitude of personal stories about someone who was supposed to be on one of the airplanes, or who never worked in the World Trade Center, but had a meeting there on 9/11, or the guy who missed work in one of the towers because his car broke down. Like Pavlov's dog, the audience is conditioned to imagine how things may have played out differently each time the bell rings, but it happens too often, sometimes with only seconds between two of the cues. What might have been an interesting conceit in the abstract becomes an annoyance in the actual because Wright overdoes it.

After intermission, the audience is advised that the bell will no longer be heard and all of the action happens as scripted, as it is meant to be. Yet, during this act when it appears that everything is predestined, the characters become embroiled in a lengthy discussion about free will and whether or not they believe in it. Ironically, the most ardent proponent of her belief that she is free is the character represented by a sock puppet. It may make you laugh, but it will surely make you think. Wright seems to be saying that the world may be beyond our control, but we do have the freedom to think and feel whatever we want.

Art imitates life with the casting of the luminous Aimee Rose Ranger in the role of Waverly. Ranger has an identical twin sister and understands on a cellular level what her character goes through as she tries to deal with the very real possibility that her sister Wendy may be dead. The role requires the actress to walk a tightrope between dread and denial, and Ranger portrays both aspects with aplomb. When the evening begins, she is fresh-faced and eager to get to know her blind date Andrew (Alejandro Simoes) when they discover their shared love of books and esoteric authors. As the television in the corner continually streams images of "the day after," Waverly tunes in and out to the news. With trembling chin and fear in her eyes, Ranger's face reflects her growing anxiety.   

Simoes captures Andrew's awkwardness with an antsy attitude and a bit of a stammer. Despite the discomfort he feels being on a blind date and for other reasons I won't disclose, he shares touching chemistry with Ranger and their developing ease with each other feels genuine. Waverly's neighbor Ron (Nathaniel Gundy), a musician cum amateur philosopher, drops in to join the debate and brings along his girlfriend Nancy (Meg Taintor) who doesn't say anything. She eats pizza, drinks beer, and looks amused by the whole gathering. Taintor, the Artistic Director of Whistler, is more often on the other side of the fourth wall as a director, but she shows her acting chops in a dual role. In addition to playing the silent Nancy, she voices and manipulates the sock puppet, infusing it with intelligence and personality. In a strong, quirky performance, Gundy gives Ron an air of beatnik, cynic, and sensitive new age guy all rolled into one. He's the kind of neighbor you'd like to have living down the hall for fun or support, as needed.

The simple set for Waverly's apartment consists of a living room with futon, toss pillows, coffee table, area rug, television, and tall bookcase, and a step up to an upstage kitchen area with a counter and a refrigerator. The important props are the bookcase because its contents connect Waverly and Andrew, and the television which serves as a constant reminder of the cataclysm that looms over Recent Tragic Events. It also brings the audience back to the mindset of 9/12/01, immersing us more fully in the world of the play. Props Designer/Set Consultant Julie Tideman, Light Designer PJ Strachman, and Sound Designer Chris Larson collaborate to produce the conditions that the playwright demands in order to differentiate the two acts and set up his debate. Emily Woods Hogue is the Costume Designer.

There are challenges inherent in Recent Tragic Events that O'Leary and this fine ensemble cast overcome by virtue of their sincerity and the seriousness of their approach to the work. Even more than ten years removed, the subject matter is daunting, made more so by the comic elements. However, Wright wrote the play in 2002, and obviously felt that it was okay to introduce laughter one short year later. The twin factor and the interconnectedness of different characters give the play a richness of themes, and the intellectual discourse is well-written and thought-provoking. However, I think the audience would be better served by the playwright if he simply let the actors act and eliminated the bells and whistles.

 

Photo credit: Chris McKenzie (Aimee Rose Ranger, Alejandro Simoes)

 

 

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