Review: AURA at Ankeny Community Theatre

Stories can be told in many ways. Sometimes they are told verbally from person to person. Other times, such as in a show, they can be told in the pieces of set being used or through other technical elements. Ankeny Community Theatre is stretching its storytelling muscles with its current production of "Aura," which opened on April 1.

"Aura" by Tommy Lee Johnston tells the story of Mike, a man who can see different colors of auras around people. This has given him the ability to tell when things will happen. He introduces himself to Earl, a man sitting alone at a park feeding the birds. It soon becomes revealed that Mike knew from Earl's wife's aura that she was sick and was going to die before her death. He then has to explain his story about a lady by the name of Amanda, and his story with Dr. Emily Wallace, to show why he doesn't interfere when he sees people's auras. But what aura do Mike and Earl have, you ask? That you will have to attend the show to find out.

What fascinated me about this show was how director Barbara Wagner decided to tell the story. The story is told with just a bench, visible on stage in front of a bush, from the moment the house is opened. She continues her vision by bringing on a prop or a set piece to tell the story. Now, while the chairs' bringing on stopped the show's flow momentarily, it didn't detract too much from the story she was trying to tell on stage. The other way she tells the story is through the lighting behind the bush. As different Aura's are mentioned, we see the background color change to represent what is happening in that scene. While for me, the change was unexpected at first, it ended up working well once the initial surprise wore off.

The cast is led by Josh Sampson, making his return to Ankeny in the role of Mike. What's fun about this show is that he is the only person to speak with each character in the show. So he has the difficult task of juggling what each of those relationships is to Mike. Josh does an excellent job of showing the growth of each of these relationships as they pop in and out of the show. While we don't ever find out what is causing Mike to see these auras, Josh does a fantastic job of giving us an inclination of what it could be. He brings some interesting ticks to the character we see throughout, and his character has a breakdown on stage. It was a fantastic performance to watch.

Another standout performance during the performance came from Tammy Sposeto. Her soft-spoken Amanda is the perfect match for Sampson's Mike. While we don't get to see her character on stage often during the show, she makes the most of her time on stage, leaving the audience wanting to see more of her character's story. She also does a terrific job of creating a character offstage and making it feel as though they are real and vital to the scene currently happening onstage.

The show also features two additional performances that made the show a delight to see. Al Price returns to the Ankeny stage as Earl. His Earl has the character traits we enjoy seeing in our stereotypical old men on screen and stage. Those traits make his character a lovable character who you can't help but root for in the end. Crystal Winklepleck returns as Dr. Emily Wallace after making her Ankeny Debut in this last December's "Geezers." She does a great job of bringing this doctor to life that lets her guard down with her patient and allows him to reveal things about her she hasn't shared with anyone else.

If you are looking for an evening out where you can sit back and see some fantastic performances, I highly recommend taking a trip to Ankeny for their production of "Aura." From a minimalistic approach to the terrific acting, each part comes together to give audiences a delightful story they won't soon forget. To find out more about this productions, visit https://www.ankenycommunitytheatre.com/

Review was written by DC Felton
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