BWW Reviews: Pitch Black Comedy REVELATION Addresses the Struggle Between Good and Evil at the End of Days

The critically acclaimed, award-winning Elephant Theatre Company continues its 17th season with the world premiere of REVELATION by Samuel Brett Williams, directed by Elephant Co-Artistic Director Lindsay Allbaugh. The show opened Friday, July 19 and runs through August 25.

The cast of REVELATION features (in alphabetical order) Zibby Allen, Ben Belack, Micah Cohen, Lawrence Dillard, Jennifer Etienne Eckert, Carolina Espiro, Tony Gatto, Larvell Hood, John Charles Meyer, Marco Naggar, Patrick Pankhurst, and Chloe Peterson.

REVELATION is an irreverent (and perhaps a bit blasphemous) comedy that tells the tale of Brandon (Marco Naggar), whose father always taught him to be prepared for the Rapture. When people begin disappearing and the Hudson River turns to blood, Brandon convinces his atheist friend Rebecca (Zibby Allen) with whom he just spent the night, to flee from New York to Arkansas in a quest to find the New Jerusalem. Her take on the whole thing: "Jesus came back? I'm an atheist so he never came the first time." But Brandon grabs his "End of Days" backpack and off they go. Faith, love, and the American landscape are all up for grabs in this pitch black comedy about the struggle between good and evil during their journey at the End of Days.

As Brandon and Rebecca journey on to Arkansas, they encounter a series of well-drawn and presented characters including sleazy boat owner Melvin (John Charles Meyer, all evil leer and flashing eyes), who offers to ferry them across the Hudson River of blood for a very personal fee. Pestilence is personified by Dr. Wilcox (Patrick Pankhurst) and Annie (Chloe Peterson) who boil-covered faces bring the evil world outside up close and personal. Medical student Annie cleans and carefully wraps Annie's face, hoping against hope that the healing process will begin.

As their journey progresses, the characters get even more bizarre. Sally (Etienne Eckert, a menace on wheels) and David (Micah Cohen) have their own unique ways of torture, which include ropes, butter, metal rods and jumper cables. Their exchanges comparing purgatory to "Lost" and their machinations to the movie "Taken" are among the funniest and most bitingly sarcastic in the show. And finally we met rifle-wielding preacher Jacob (Tony Gatto, also the show's assistant director) who considers himself a prophet, proud to baptized believers in the local creek and shooting 43 people who did not want to face the End of Days. And it turns out Brandon was right when the Archangel Michael (Carolina Espiro) appears, the gatekeeper to the New Jerusalem.

Their journey from New York City through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas to Shreveport, Louisiana, is recounted in 90 minutes of non-stop action on an inventive, multi-level set designed by Jeffrey Eisenmann, evocative lighting by Matt Richter (such fire and brimstone!) and sound effects by Peter Bayne, with full set, mood-enhancing projections designed by Corwin Evans, especially effective during the driving scenes as images of trees move across the set. Allbaugh brilliantly and quickly shows time passing during the driving scenes as Brandon and Rebecca change places as driver by exchanging places while perched on rolling chairs The cast has been very well choreographed to move the set pieces in and out of scenes effortlessly, and many change costumes on the fly, keeping the fast-paced antics flowing from scene to scene.

REVELATION at the Lillian Theatre at the Elephant Stages, located at 1076 Lillian Way, (off Santa Monica Boulevard, one block west of Vine), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 7pm, through August 25 only. Tickets for regular performances are $25. Also, there will be an added 'Play Care' performance on Saturday, August 17 at 2pm, at which parents can bring their kids, who will be looked after by experienced child caregivers (at no extra charge), while the parents watch the show.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.ElephantTheatre.org, or via phone at (855) NOFORGET [663-6743]. For more information on the Elephant Theatre Company, visit www.ElephantTheatre.org, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @elephanttheatre.

PRODUCTION PHOTOS BY JOEL DAAVID

Ben Belack, Zibby Allen, Marco Naggar.

Marco Naggar, Zibby Allen, John Charles Meyer

Chloe Peterson, Patrick Pankhurst

Zibby Allen, Larvell Hood (rear), Marco Naggar.

Carolina Espiro as Archangel Michael