Review: The Michigan Premiere of TREVOR is an Emotional and Unique Dark Comedy at Stagecrafter's 2nd Stage Theatre!

Stagecrafter's 2nd Stage Theatre presented the Michigan premiere of the dark comedy Trevor about a faded television actor relegated to a quiet, domestic life, but longing to return to his illustrious career. Only the actor this show is about is a chimpanzee, which inhibits the communication between his owner and himself. This production is a show filled with many emotions as the audience watches they will laugh, they will feel, and they will struggle right along with Trevor and his owner, Sandra.

Playwright Nick Jones, a writer and producer for Orange is the New Black, based the show on real-life chimpanzee actor Travis, who, in February 2009 made international news after grievously mauling a friend of his owner. Jones made the play really interesting to watch by letting the audience be privy to Trevor's thoughts. Matthew Wojcinski plays Trevor and he absolutely wonderful in the role from the moment he steps on the stage. Yes, the audience is a watching just an actor, barefoot in normal clothes, but Wojcinski takes it to a higher level. He becomes Trevor, encompasses Trevor, and just is Trevor, that what the audience is seeing on stage is not an actor pretending to be a chimpanzee with silly antics, they see a chimpanzee. It is quite incredible.

Jones takes the other side of the struggle and illustrates the difficulty that Trevor's owner Sandra has with him as he aged and grown stronger. He shows her unwavering love for him and issues that the communication barrier bring up for her between her beloved chimpanzee and also the humans around her. Julie Fuller plays Sandra Morris and she is fiercely strong on stage. There is no doubt in what her character wants and Fuller makes the audience feel with her whether it be happiness, sadness, hope, joy, or loss.

Rachel Keown (Ashley), Jacob Ferianc (P.A./Jerry), Rita E. Smith (Morgan Fairchild), Bruce Thorburn (Jim), and Carlos Westbrook (Oliver) round out the rest of the cast.

David Musselwhite directed Trevor at Stagecrafter's 2nd Stage Theatre and did an outstanding job with the dark comedy. From beginning to end, the presentation was enthralling and moved at the perfect pace to keep the audience engaged. Musselwhite worked well with his team to have a perfect set for the production that helped bring even more ambiance to the already intriguing performance.

Trevor is definitely not the typical piece of theatre that pops up, but Stagecrafter's did a show worth seeing. Trevor is emotional, different, and a unique piece of Michigan theatre. So take a chance and experience the emotional ride of Trevor, it will be worth it.

Trevor is currently running until October 23rd at Stagecrafter's 2nd Stage Theatre in Royal Oak. For more information or tickets, visit www.stagecrafters.org.

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