Review: BRIGHT HALF LIFE at Iowa Stage: Theatre Continuing to Adapt Through Pandemic

Throughout the history of theatre, the art form has adapted to its current times. In 2020 it was forced to adapt again due to Covid 19. Each theatre company has found its own unique way to adapt. This last summer, Iowa Stage did a one-night reading of a play called "The Cake," performed at Des Moines Playhouse's parking lot. Since then, they have adapted by doing a play via zoom and now are adapting again. On March 5, Iowa Stage opened their most recent production for the 2020-2021 virtual season, "Bright Half Life" by Tanya Barfield.

"Bright Half Life" is a fast-paced, one-hour play that presents us with vignettes of the lives of Vicky and Erica, a gay biracial couple. As the play progresses, we get to see the good times with this couple by visiting an early date they go on and the night that Erica proposes. But we also see the struggles that they face as a couple, do we go out of state to get married, do they have kids, who is oppressed, and what it means to be oppressed-each scene as poignant as the rest as they reveal this couple's story.

For "Bright Half Life," Iowa Stage has found itself adapting yet again in how they are telling this story. Instead of using a platform like Zoom, they tell the story through a minimalistic set and have filmed inside their previous home, the Kum & Go Theatre. Part of what I've loved about Iowa Stage over the last few years is how they have adapted the view the audience sees the play. As they started their 2019-2020 season, Iowa Stage moved to the Stoner Theatre at Des Moines Performing Arts, which meant that the shows they produce would be performed in thrust, with audiences on three sides. The filming made me feel like I was sitting in the audience with a thrust stage, but I got to see the show from every seat in the house because it was filmed.

Under the direction of Jennifer Nostralia, the play tells the story of a fragile relationship. Jennifer tells the story beautifully by having specific places on stage where each scene is happening. This is very helpful to the audience, and the story switches back and forth from scene to scene. It allows us to keep track of where we are in the story and allows for sudden switches, which plays into the fragile relationship at the center of the show.

The idea of this broken relationship continues through to the production design and how the show was filmed. The stage, designed and lit by Jay Jagrim, is a minimalistic set with multiple platforms, all at different levels. Being fairly bare allows the ability to go from scene to scene quickly and gives the audience the responsibility of imagining where the characters were, as they reveal it in the script. Jay's lighting also plays into this idea as the use of gobos breaks up the lighting on stage, leaving dark spots on the stage and the actors, while at other times having the stage and actors fully lit.

We see this idea of fragileness spill into Susanna Douthit's costume design. The characters wear one costume for the entire show, each beautifully contrasting the other. One character wears more form-fitting costumes with a striped top, while the other wears a more free-flowing top with more ornate designs and colors.

As you watch the film, it also plays with the struggle the two characters are going through. At times, the filming by G. Thomas Furgerson and Media G, LLC, is very close and intimate with the actors and at other times, pulls back and gives the full view of the actors on the stage. Another thing way this was achieved was through the sharpness of the video. At times the video was so sharp it felt like I was right there with the actresses, and at other times had a slight fuzziness to it that reminded me that this is filmed and not live on stage.

At the show's center are two amazing actresses, Rae Fehring as Vickey and Kim Haymes as Erica. The two do a beautiful job of playing off of each other. Their performances are both unique to their characters yet cohesive when put together onstage. The chemistry between them makes them feel like a real couple that we are watching in real-time. It was thrilling to watch them as they could change the energy on stage at any given moment as they quickly transitioned from one event to the next. As longer segments play out, both Rae and Kim pull the audience in as though they are watching in real-time. One of my favorite moments is a scene that takes place on a Ferris wheel. The way they use both their voices and movement truly made me feel like I was on the Ferris wheel as well.

While we may not be able to sit as a packed audience in a theatre yet, like in relationships when issues arise, the art form adapts. Iowa Stage has taken their audiences on that journey with them as they have adapted to Covid, from outdoor theatre, to plays through Zoom's lens, to filmed stage productions. "Bright Half Life" is a great show to start getting back on stage. From the directing, to the tech, to the actresses on stage, each aspect beautifully works together to bring this couple's story to your screen. This production can be streamed through Sunday, March 14. To find out more information, visit Bright Half Life | Iowa Stage Theatre Co. | Des Moines, IA

Review was written by DC Felton
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