Review: 4th Wall Theatre Company Strikes a Spooky Chord in Lucas Hnath's THE THIN PLACE

Two chairs, a side table, and a lone actress on stage begins 4th Wall Theatre's production of Lucas Hnath's The Thin Place. These four elements are the creation of a spooky and eerie story of what lies between the mortal and ghostly worlds. Ultimately, 4th Wall's The Thin Place features top-tier performances from some of Houston's favorites.

Set in the present-day, Lucas Hnath begins his play with Hilda (Faith Fossett) describing a beautiful memory of her grandmother. Their word games left an impression on the young woman and now that she is an adult tries to find the answers as to what she calls "the thin place." This location she determines is what separates the living and the dead. When she encounters, Linda (Carolyn Johnson), a British psychic residing in America, Hilda becomes best friends with her hoping to speak to her grandmother. Eventually, Linda reveals her true self to be but not without conversational interruptions of "friends" Jerry (Philip Lehl) and Sylvia (Courtney Lomelo). Finally, Hnath culminates his story with Hilda visiting an abandoned building with Linda and then ruminating again on the "thin place."

Overall, 4th Wall's production of The Thin Place is very well done and features Houston favorite, Carolyn Johnson quite well. As the second lead, Johnson ultimately carries the show with her impressive accent skills, tremendous acting, and comedic timing. Faith Fossett as the lead Hilda is a compelling figure, as Fossett's mousy acting leaves audience members with an uneasy feeling throughout the piece. Fossett is a young actor and I personally can't wait to see where their career leads. My ultimate issues with the script were rectified by Johnson and Fossett and the playwrights words were elevated by their performances.

Design elements of the production also are a feature of this production. Christina Giannelli's lighting design is at play here and takes the production to new heights.You wouldn't guess a single red light bulb can have this much impact on a play, but it does and it is enticing. While one can imagine that set designer, Stefan Azizi's work was a simple one with a set featuring two chairs and a side table, it is the literal elevation his design creates that contributes to the otherworldly nature of the production.

Ultimately, The Thin Place is one to watch during this Halloween season. The production elicits the spine-tingling sensations one would expect out of a suspenseful film. While I did personally enjoy it, it is worth the price of admission to witness some of the more magical elements of the production.

The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath runs at 4th Wall Theatre Co. from October 13th thru November 5th. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 3:00 PM. An Industry Night/Halloween performance will occur on Monday, October 31st at 7:30 PM. Tickets can be bought at https://www.4thwalltheatreco.com/.

 

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