BWW Reviews: Ignite Theatre's THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED - Incomplete

“O Lord, support us all the day long of this troublous life, until The Shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over and our work is done. Then of Thy mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest and a peace at last through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” - John Henry Newman, adapted from The Book of Common Prayer

Even though the plot of THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED by Keith Bunin is heavy on religion and gets preachy at times, the script is actually an interesting exploration of faith and love. And though it dabbles in the broad, timely themes of homosexuality vs. religion, and is ultimately an exploration of safety and comfort, it is more about the zones that people find that comfort and safety in. Fathers, religion, family, faith, lovers, solitude, the church – all of these comfort zones are introduced in the show.

So here's the official program synopsis: Hannah, a minister and Bible scholar, finds her faith at odds with that of Thomas, her estranged, wayward son. But when an inquisitive young writer hired to assist Hannah with her latest publication learns painful secrets from Hannah's past, she spies a risky, unconventional opportunity for reconciliation. The big question is, how do you reconcile love, faith, and family? Concepts that should go together like apples, walnuts, and raisins in a lovely Waldorf salad, right? Wrong.

Basically, Hannah hires Brandt to help her research her book. Hannah is looking for the purest form of faith and a clear view of God that is not muddled in convoluted variations of Bible scriptures. The research also helps distracts Brandt from dealing with his ailing father. Along comes Hannah’s son, Thomas, who has been off in the woods on another crazy adventure. Thomas has been trying to make sense of his own father’s death, which happened when he was a child, a loss that Hannah refuses to talk about. A connection is forged between Brandt and Thomas. Hannah notices this and devises a plot with Brandt to keep her son from leaving again. A relationship blossoms between the two young men and things seems to be going great until Hannah, in a heated argument, reveals the slightly devious agreement she’s made with Brandt, thus devastating everyone involved. The young men are torn asunder. Thomas runs away and a hysterical Hannah fires Brandt. In the end, we find Hannah helping Brandt bury his father and Brandt offering the grief-stricken Hannah comfort in return.

So let’s get down to critique-y business. I hate to say this, but this show was a disappointment on several levels. First and foremost, the actors seemed to be playing it safe the entire time, really holding back, and for a topic-heavy play like this one, there needs to be… more. More dedication to the roles. More dedication to the material. And, ultimately, more dedication to the audience and each other. The Players went through the blocking just fine, but never truly embodied or developed the characters to the depths of their potential emotional scope. Basically, they put on a play but not a performance. I had flashback moments when I felt like I was back in college watching a student production in our little black box theatre. The show seemed rushed, which only highlighted the elemental lack. Mari Geasair as Hannah was quite good and commanded the stage. Chris Silberman as Brandt exuded adequate anguish and conflict over his ailing father. Tim McGrath as Hannah’s son Thomas, however, was extreme and odd. And I get that he’s been in the woods for who knows how long, but I needed more of an asshole attitude from him during his "fig" monologue. Also, if these young men are destined to hook up, they need more sexual chemistry (I"m sorry...I just wasn’t buying it). Perhaps casting gay actors in BOTH male lead roles would remedy this lack of creative energy, especially when we have such a wealth of gay talent here in Denver (and Bernie knows this after his genius casting of an amazingly talented all-gay cast in Love! Valor! Compassion!) While McGrath and Silberman may have kissed, it was like eating vanilla ice cream when you really want mint chocolate cookie rocky road pistachio with whipped cream and hot fudge and a cherry on top. And nuts to add some bite and crunch and flavor to the whole thing. Because the lack is so glaring in this production, the kissing and the attraction between Thomas and Brandt almost seemed like an afterthought, when really there is great dramatic potential here. The lack of chemistry between the two male leads made the eventual breakup even less emotionally affecting and left me wanting more. Plus, during the initial meeting and flirtation there was little foreshadowing of potential romance. I did see brief flashes of interest from Brandt, but they weren't reciprocated, so packing up and getting ready for that journey fell empty and short. Also, there were so many opportunities to play up the primal, instinctive, base human behaviors that ultimately feed into the major blow-up that destroys all the relationships, but they, too, were lost along the trail. The thing that disappointed and baffled me the most (besides the lack of bookshelves – c’mon prop peeps!) was why the hell didn't Hannah and Brandt both utterly break down in the final scene? There would not have been a dry eye in the house and it would have been a somewhat redeeming resolution to this tumultuous, uneven show.

Mari Geasair and Chris Silberman each have moments of greatness and really shine in those
moments, but those moments are fleeting. They need to take the painful, anguished moments further. They need to dangle a foot over The Edge and tease the abyss a bit more, stir the dark waters, especially in the last scene, which opens up the prickly path to redemption; instead they simply don’t see it or ignore outright that it’s there. Tim McGrath is adequate, but never really embraces or develops his character to the fullest, and it shows. He seems to be a few beats off with his reactions to his surroundings. For example, when he is having the porcupine quills taken out of his leg he agonizes over the first two and then starts to tell a story and drops any inkling of pain. If the first two are that painful, the remainder would hurt too, right? If the stoicism is intentional (he has been wandering the woods for a long time, after all), that would be great, but given the overall unevenness of the show, it simply seems awkward, like something more rehearsal time could have fixed.

Designer Jen Orf is to be complimented on an outstanding set. The cluttered church office is littered with books and yet has a homey feel to it. The staiNed Glass is a beautiful touch and I loved the single church pillars. I have seen over a dozen plays directed by Bernie Cardell and he’s usually spot on with his instincts. Unfortunately, there were moments during this show when those keen instincts failed to meet expectation.

There were also a couple of technical issues, the first being the lighting, which was constantly changing during a single scene and became a distraction after a while. When working in a small space like a black box theater, the lights need to be established at the beginning of each scene and then left alone – don’t get button happy! Another was an odd (and unnecessary and distracting) sound cue, which was the only effect of the show. If it’s supposed to be raining outside, start the sound cue at the beginning of the scene, not the middle. My other grievance is a big one – the aforementioned missing bookshelves. This show takes place over the course of about six months and I thought it would be neat to see some bookshelves pop up, especially since Thomas uses books and research as an excuse to spend time with Brandt. The shelves would also be useful in symbolizing Thomas’ "building" of relationships with his lover and his mother, and would have further impact after the betrayal if he broke one or knocked it down to symbolize the crumbling of those relationships and his anguish over the loss.

Ignite Theatre excels at putting on musicals and, while I applaud them for taking a risk with this show, maybe they should stick with what they know and do best. And with The Great Trailer Park Musical, Spring Awakening, Sweeney Todd, and Next to Normal still to come this season, we will no doubt see great things from this company!

Ignite Theatre presents THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED, playing now through April 15th at the
Aurora Fox Studio Theatre. For tickets or information, contact the box office at 720-362-2697 or online at http://www.lucentperformingarts.org.

 

 

 

 

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