BWW Reviews: Shabach Enterprise's World Premiere of FLY IN THE WINDSHIELD is Engrossing, Lighthearted Drama

There really is nothing like the opening of another show, especially when that show is a World Premiere production. Last night, an enthusiastic audience filed into MidTown Art Space to witness FLY IN THE WINDSHIELD, S. Denise O'Neal's first play in three years, brought to life. Several in the audience had attended the reading at Theatre Suburbia and were telling those who had not experienced her craft about how powerful and poetic S. Denise O'Neal's writing was. Needless to say the anticipation and stakes were high, and last nights audience received exactly what they wanted from the production.

FLY IN THE WINDSHIELD was inspired by interviews that S. Denise O'Neal conducted with men recovering from addiction at F.I.R.M Recovery, a faith-based drug rehabilitation program. Taking the raw material from those meetings, she has crafted a fictional, but rather realistic, work that is loosely based on the men who shared their lives with her. The plot essentially follows Vincent Bowers and Russell Hicks, newcomers to the rehab, journeys through the program. Evil rears its ugly head and threatens to undo what the collective group is striving to accomplish. As a band of brothers, the men courageously soldier on through the darkness to reach the light. And while all of this sounds incredibly heavy, S. Denise O'Neal actually keeps the production surprisingly lighthearted. She deftly utilizes a jocular tone for a majority of the show, allowing audiences to see how uplifting the faith-based rehabilitation program is for her characters.

Many of her lines strike an emotional chord as the characters in her script traverse their arcs, but the repeated line of "Everybody in here's trying to fix something that's broke," is perhaps the most brilliant. It elevates the material beyond just a story of drug rehabilitation, and reminds us why we go to the theatre in the place. Effective theatre repairs us and restores us in some way. It teaches us and helps us fix something that is broken in our lives. FLY IN THE WINDSHIELD does just that. It's positive message of the human spirit's ability to overcome adversity sends the audience out refreshed and ready to tackle their own personal demons. The only aspect of the writing I did not fully enjoy was the play's coda after the unison delivery of "We are all children of God!" With that line and the fade into darkness, I was stirred to my core and ready to re-enter the world. However, S. Denise O'Neal has an epilogue of sorts that serves as a "where art they now" ending, which seems a little overly hopeful considering the lives the men lead before entering the program. While it satisfies our desire, as an audience, to tie up every loose end, it seems to fly in the face of statistics and lessen the realism of the play.

S. Denise O'Neal also directed the World Premiere production of FLY IN THE WINDSHIELD. She excels in her ability to cast the show with talent that successfully brings her characters to life. Her words, as they flow from the cast's mouths, effortlessly draw the audience in so well that I audibly gasped when the twist late in Act I was revealed. Also, I was impressed by some subtle, yet detailed, touches that she added, like coloring Neil Sumptner's teeth and the inclusion of Vincent Bowers' shakiness. Additionally, she does a good job truthfully revealing the high stakes that these addicts believe and feel, even when they do make sense logically.

As Vincent Bowers, Omar J. Lewis enters the program as a street savvy, closed off crack addict. He portrays this well by being easy to agitate, constantly darting his eyes around to see what everyone is doing, and through trembling while the drugs work their way out of his system. As he learns to trust his new brothers, he grows emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Omar J. Lewis' reenactment of a scene from a soap opera is one of the evening's funniest and most endearing moments.

Leading the men through their healing process is Byron Jacquet's Pastor Raymond Greer. He is welcoming and warm but approaches the addicts with a tough love edge. He explains that his strict rules are in place to guarantee their successful recoveries from addition. Likewise, Byron Jacquet's Pastor Greer grows a personal relationship with each of the men as he champions their success.

Todd Greenfield's Neil Sumptner is a delightful pastiche of believable Southern redneck clichés. He warms our hearts with his charm and humor, ensuring that the audience roots for him to graduate from the program.

Clyde Perkins and Russell Hicks, played by BranDon Morgan and Gregory White, exist as polar opposites of one another. BranDon Morgan's Clyde is rough around The Edges, angry, volatile, and has been made hard through a life on the streets and his addiction to crack. Gregory White's Russell touts that he checked himself into rehab to overcome his addiction to weed. Likewise, he is more introspective and quiet. He also writes in a notebook, giving the impression that he is artistically inclined. Both of these men square off against one another several times in the play, but it is their realization of their similarities and the bond that grows from there that moves the audience the most.

Moreover, Dave Osbie Sheperd brings a drill sergeant-like severity to his intimidating and imposing Cecil Brown, the rehab's intake supervisor. Ricky "Hooch" Dunbar, one of the jokers in the group, is brought to vibrant life by J. R. Marshall, who is somewhat reminiscent of Yosemite Sam in his portrayal of the character. Tom Mosley III's Bruce Franklin is an elderly cocaine addict, and his success in the program is an early inspiration for both Russell and Vincent.

Light Design by Mike McDermott is simple, using unadornEd White lights to light the stage. In a pair of climatic conversations that occur simultaneously on the stage his design does obstruct the power of the scenes by being too intrusive. Lights flip back and forth from one side of the stage to the other, as the audience hears a sentence here and a sentence there. I feel that if both lights were left up and the cast just froze in place as the writing hopped between the conversations, those moments would be much more effective.

Sound Design by Mike McDermott is minimal as well. I really appreciated the sounds of Velma in the kitchen while the men ate lunch. That was a nice, delicate touch of realism.

The play is most successful because the cast works well together as an ensemble, delivering emotive portrayals of lost souls being saved by faith. The plot and the characters are engrossing, effortlessly capturing the attention of those in attendance. The largest setback to the opening night performance is that many Houston theatre companies do not have the luxury of preview performances, so the pacing wasn't as tight as I would have liked it to be. Also, some scene transitions felt awkwardly lengthy. Yet, I'm willing to wager that these issues will fix themselves with expediency.

THE FLY IN THE WINDSHIELD, produced by Shabach Enterprise, plays MidTown Arts Center, 3414 LaBranch Street, Houston, 77004 now through Saturday, August 10, 2013. Performances are Monday 8/5, Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00pm. For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.MsLilysGroove.com.

Photos courtesy of S. Denise O'Neal.

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