BWW Reviews: RED DEATH At Mildred's Umbrella Is Dark Yet Absorbing

It's October, the month of all things Halloween, and Mildred's Umbrella is premiering a spooky dark comedy; Lisa D'Amour's RED DEATH. The play is inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death". The connections between the two works are fun to catch- the masks, the existential theme, and the symbolism of the colored rooms, but RED DEATH is definitely it's own animal, and D'Amour has created a script that is thought-provoking, if a little hard to follow at times. The strength of the play is in the characters and dialogue. Jane Whithers is a fully-realized, multi-dimensional character. Just when you think you have Jane pegged, she does something to add another layer to who you thought she was. The dialogue is sharp and purposeful, always staying true to the characters.

The story is of the existential variety, with a flair of dark humor. Sometimes the script is a little too dark, bordering on the depressing. Christie Guidry-Stryk plays Jane, a woman who's been assigned the task of finding the "origin of evil, the root of denial, and the basic human weakness" by a mysterious and elusive panel. The story unfolds as Jane follows her mission through the beaches of Florida, to the Adriatic Sea to the sewers of Texas. Jennifer Decker directs this production with care and thoroughness, lending a strong cohesive feel to the performances and the pacing of the show.

As Jane, Guidry-Stryk has ample stage presence, and easily holds the focus of the play with her intriguing performance as a woman who is by turns driven. desperate, and plotting.

The cast as a whole is strong: Ronald Reeder plays a plausible detective, with his angular physicality and jaded demeanor. The wealthy, elusive Prospero is played by Jon Harvey, who does a good job of portraying a man who gets anything he wants. Prospero's naive wife Connie is played by Karen Schlag with believability and humor, especially in the scene where she is embarrassed by her wayward daughter, Lucinda. Bree Bridger plays the self-absorbed Lucinda with wit and accuracy.

The performance space at Mildred's Umbrella is on the smaller side, but Jodi Bobrovsky's set works to provide an abstract, yet serviceable canvas. The set vibrates with the story; it is structured, yet asymmetrical. The newspapered backdrop evokes the feeling of cases that never closed, mysteries yet to be solved. Lighting design by Greg Starbird lends mood to the varied locales in the script.

This is a strong production, but it must be said that there is gratuitous swearing in some of the lines, and while Christie Guidry-Stryk is a talented actor with a great handle on the role, there are times when she is hard to understand. If she would follow her cast mates in their crisp diction, her performance would be even more compelling.

For tickets to RED DEATH, go to:http://mildredsumbrella.com

Photo Credit: VJ Arizpe

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