Review: Mad Horse's THE NETHER Is Bold and Beautiful

"Bold, beautiful, brilliant" even are perhaps the first adjectives that come to mind to describe Mad Horse Theatre's latest production of Jenifer Haley's provocative play The Nether. And these words are quickly followed by "difficult, disturbing, and dense." The eighty-minute dark psychological drama with sci-fi thriller overtones, directed by Christine Louise Marshall, invites the spectator into a seductive and frightening world of obsession, compulsion, and perverse desire, and yet, by the time the wrenching evening has run its course, both characters and audience have found a measure of catharsis and truth that is its own ray of light.

It is difficult to write about the themes of Haley's play except in the broadest terms because to do otherwise would reveal the very carefully calibrated secrets that make the drama so riveting. Setting the work in a post-internet future in the shadowy virtual realm of the nether, Haley tackles themes of the separation between physical and virtual reality, the moral and ethical questions raised by creating a virtual universe with its own set of rules, the deep seated longing in all human beings to connect with one another and to be accepted for who they are, and the inherent beauties and dangers of imagination and the places to which it leads. Haley's writing is sparse; dialogue is laden with tension and terseness, and she paces the revelations of the plot with a chilling mastery so that the tiniest hints eventually coalesce into the final moments of soul-baring disclosure. - is a work that requires listening - listening intently - and the effort to do so adds to the dramatic tension that builds to the final catharsis.

Christine Louise Marshall directs masterfully, making a choice that works well not only practically for the theatre's small black box, but also for the thrust of the play itself. And that is to strip away a great many of the production bells and whistles that the twin settings - especially the lush virtual realm might suggest and to play the entire work in the setting of the interrogation room and then in the minds of the characters. In doing so, the thin veil between realities is always in play and the unanswered motivations of the characters heightened. Her pacing is tight and her touch with some of the more troubling themes of the play (like pedophilia) is delicate. John Sundling provides the nebulous, stark set, assisted with simple props and costumes by Marshall, evocative lighting b Heather Crocker, and a new age soundscape by Jacob Cote.

The five-person cast works together beautifully. Paul Haley is an elusive, driven yet empathetic Simms/Papa. Tim Ferrell is a touchingly vulnerable Doyle; Nick Schroeder discomfited and ingenuous by turns as agent Woodnut, while Janice Gardner manages the perfect blend of professional detective and woman harboring her own secret. Anchoring the ensemble is twelve-year-old Maiya Koloski as Iris, the child-fantasy projection at the heart of drama. With utter ease and heartbreaking naturalness, she suggests both the innocence and innate wisdom of the character.

The Nether is not an easy choice of play, but it is a brave one because it accomplishes so beautifully what all powerful theatre must. It challenges our complacency, asks us to enter another realm and walk in the shoes and realities of other people, and hopefully to emerge with a greater understanding of the complexities of human nature. Do not miss seeing this if you can!

Photos courtesy of Madhorse Theatre, Craig Robinson, photographer

The Nether runs from January 19-February 5, 2017, at Mad Horse Theatre Company, 24 Mosher St., South Portland, ME www.madhorse.com 207-747-4148

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