Review: Surprising & Surreal WINK is a Winner

Going blindly into The Constructivists' Wink was the right choice. I'd read the brief synopsis, but that only claws at the surface of what this refreshingly absurd, surrealist dark comedy is all about.

Here's what we're given as the gist: "Unhappy housewife Sophie and her breadwinning husband Gregor both seek weekly counseling from an unorthodox therapist, Dr. Frans. When their cat Wink goes missing, violent desires, domestic anarchy, and feline vengeance emerge, threatening the neatly-ordered reality Sophie, Gregor, and Dr. Frans have constructed."

The script by Jen Silverman takes its share of detours, surprising and strange. I found myself eating up every word. Wink is a bizarre, witty, and unexpected experience. The world of the play is startling at times, curiously thrilling, and certainly surreal. There are moments of extreme turbulence and soft intimacy. It's also laugh-aloud funny. And psychotic.

It may sound like there's a lot going on, but Wink comes together for 70 minutes, no intermission, of exhilarating theater. While the play and its players are, at times, unhinged, the show itself is a neat package for the audience to unwrap. There is intention behind every word, prop, and clothing choice. Shout out to set and costume designer Sarah Harris for taking us on such an enthralling wardrobe journey, and to lighting designer Ellie Rabinowitz and set designer Les Zarzecki for creating such a dynamic space.

Now that we've sufficiently danced around the themes of Wink, on to the actors themselves. Director Jaimelyn Gray has expertly pulled together a rock-solid foursome to breathe life into Silverman's eccentric cast of characters. Feisty and funny as can be, Rebekah Farr plays the unhappy housewife Sophie with manic gusto. We learn throughout the course of the play that Farr not only excels at physical (read: destructive) comedy, she also has a lovely singing voice.

Ekene Ikegwuani plays the breadwinning Gregor. For the purposes of this review, let's just say the character of Gregor isn't really a cat person. Ikegwuani bravely bares that feline spite, infusing this complex character with ample humor and heartache. This is a man struggling with which emotions to bury vs. lift up, and we feel that tension from Ikegwuani while also enjoying lots of laughs along the way.

Counseling these two is Matthew Sales as Dr. Frans, an uptight therapist who advises Gregor to slam down his feelings and go on vacation. For as long as you're working hard, you must be happy, right? Sales is superb as the tightly-wound Dr. Frans -- one part total hoot, one part totally endearing.

This last one gives away a bit of the surreal, but can't be helped: Jaime Jastrab charms as the titular Wink the cat. Jastrab is perfectly suited for the part. His presence shrewd yet serene, his nonchalant, almost lilting manner of speaking somehow feels catlike in its unbothered confidence. His movements also tap into something feline, though not in a stereotypical Andrew Lloyd Webber sort of way. It's difficult to describe -- it just has to be experienced. Hats off to movement and intimacy coach Laura Sturm.

I'll leave you with my final thoughts as Wink ended and we rose to our feet with applause: I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I also felt like I was back in a college poetry class, attempting to unravel the tangled yarn that is this play -- not out of frustration, but out of excitement. Isn't it fun when the theater makes you think and feel things?

In her closing remarks, Jaimelyn Gray suggested the audience "let it marinade," and that's exactly what I've been doing ever since leaving Wink. She also reminded us that tickets are only $20 in a sincere effort to keep theater accessible -- but there is a donation box available to patrons as they exit. Not only have The Constructivists succeeded in keeping theater approachable for the masses, they've made it enjoyable and well worth an extra tip at the door.

Photo Credit: Testaduro Media, LLC

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