BWW Reviews: Dark Drama COLUMBUS DAY, Thought Provoking

The world premiere of Columbus Day, a play by Forrest Attaway, closed on Sunday November 2 at the Living Room Theatre in Kansas City, Mo. Attaway stated the work began as a 60-minute production and over the last eight years, he developed into a full-length play. Bryan Moses directed the dark drama about poor choices, death, and misgiven trusts.

Early in the production of Columbus Day, you get the sensation that you are sitting in a room with a person who cannot stop pushing buttons on a remote control, as the play flips back and forth between a schoolroom and following the female lead. In the classroom Josh, the teacher, is holding his classmates hostage at gunpoint, attempting to make the students open their minds. In alternating scenes, we follow Bree an unwed pregnant teenager attempting to keep her unborn child.

At intermission, I found myself pondering on the connection of the two alternating scenes. In Act I Attaway does a wonderful job of blending the two, while giving out only enough information to peak the curiosity of the audience. Bringing the two together in Act II caused a murmur of approval to flow through the theater. The powerful production of Columbus Day was highly entertaining and thought provoking, though at times somewhat depressing.

Christina Coffey portrays Bree, the unwed teen with a dark past. In her first straight dramatic role, she gives a fine performance with only a few instances where the dialogue seemed forced. She has appeared previously in Carrie the Musical and Zombie Prom with Egads! Theatre Company, Ragtime at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, and Hairspray and The Music Man with Gladstone Theatre in The Park.

Ben Auxier stars as Josh, the teacher who has gone over the edge causing panic and fear in the classroom. Auxier gives a dynamic performance, delivering his lines with force and a reality that in today's society is a little frightful. He appears regularly with KC Improv Company and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.

Meredith Wolfe gives the most memorable performance as Blanca, the pregnant Chicano woman and roommate of Bree, who is desperately trying to keep her unborn child. Wolfe's marvelous performance brings an element of mystery to Blanca, with a dash of humor and a hint of insanity. She has previously performed with the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, The Coterie Theatre, and the Unicorn Theatre among others.

Jeff Smith plays Mason, the devious boyfriend of Bree who goes to any length to have things work out his way. His performance draws the audience to loathe his character, but not his performance. Coleman Crenshaw gives a delightful performance as the psychiatrist, in charge of the home for unwed mothers, coerced by Bree.

Columbus Day was entertaining, but at times seemed to run a little slow with the constant scene changes every few minutes. The character of Blanca seems to be the only one that you can like from the beginning to the end. Even Bree falls from grace by the end of the second act. Photo courtesy of The Living Room Theatre.

To post a comment, you must register and login.