Review: Multidimensional STAGEright's WEIRD ROMANCE Examines Love Powerfully

Take two episodes of The Twilight Zone, add psychedelic aesthetics and a musical score and BOOM, you have STAGEright's "Weird Romance." Directed by Brendan Mack, this "two one-act musicals of speculative fiction" somehow made a glam-rock Rod Serling fever dream accessible and intimate.

Act I "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" took an immersive approach in a very intentional, moving way. You walk in, and two zonked out glam stars from outer space are lazily interacting with the already seated audience members. The two plaid-sporting twenty-somethings sit on the raised platform in the middle of the set may or may not be apart of the show, and a dirt-caked transient woman limps around trying to find a comfortable place to sit and not be bothered.

"The Girl Who Was Plugged in," based on the story by James Tiptree Jr., is set in a future where advertising has been outlawed so corporations must have actors use their products on-screen. The transient woman, P. Burke, has been selected to volunteer her human personality for mechanical transubstantiation into a glamorous cyborg named Delphi, played by Varsha Raghavan. From here, we watch as the spirit of a clueless, downtrodden homeless woman learns to become the celebrity byproduct advertisers need her to be. On one hand, it's a rags-to-riches farce through the lens of a campy sci-fi. Costume designers Cherelle Ashby and Jonelle Cornwell did not skimp on the Rocky Horror aesthetics, and it was fabulous. On the other hand, it conveyed a very real social critique that did not feel skimped over thanks to the commitment of the actors and a real artistry to the immersive performance.

The immersive format of this play really worked because it complimented the grey area that the story was trying to address. Picture a theatre in the round, but the audience is in the middle while the actors bounce and strut about a surrounding ring of stage platforms. Not only were we forced to consider the space between being human and machine, but additionally the space between being a guilty bystander and just an audience member based on how we physically stood. I, too-as many audience members were-turned off and frightened by the transient woman as she huffed and stared, and it was not until the artifice was established as she belted "Stop and See Me" did I feel comfortable knowing that she's a character in a play. I was as guilty of pretending she does not exist as the characters were in the play.

This also applied when the glam pop icons told us that we would be told to move if they needed to use that space for their performance. It made me feel tremendously vulnerable and star struck, my heart fluttering at even the prospect of the glamazons telling me that I was doing something wrong. I am, internally, that die-hard fan just like the absolutely gaga twenty-somethings (played by Tiffany Chancey and Matthew Lang) screaming and grabbing at Zanth and Shannara's perfumed bodies.

On a more practical level, having to constantly switch positions to see the action or peek between torsos while seated was a tad annoying. The seating in the first part is not ample, so many people had to stand throughout the duration of the performance. I would suggest providing more seating if possible for those who will absolutely need to sit for an hour and a half.

The romance between cyborg Delphi and her love interest Paul felt a bit canned-casting Andrew Murray as angsty Paul felt a bit forced, which was no fault of Murray's. From the tightly-fitting sea foam green sweater over his starched Nirvana t-shirt to his perfectly quaffed hair, nothing about this portrayal felt anti-establishment. Noah Duffy, however, strutting around in impressively tall platforms made me hungry for more: Duffy gave Zanth's star power a boozy charm, a real Dr. Frank N. Furter-ness if you will that gave the character depth.

Act II "Her Pilgrim Soul" was an entirely different animal, where, thankfully, everyone got to sit in the audience seats. Like "The Girl Who Was Plugged In," this musical brings into question what it means to be human, and how love can paradoxically define and negate the definition. Kevin, a hyper-committed scientist stumbles upon a holographic anomaly-a tremendously realistic young girl who seemingly ages by the minute. His neglected wife Carol is annoyed and suspicious of Kevin's absence, transforming the absurd notion of infidelity into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"Her Pilgrim Soul" was a heart-wrenching, sentimental tale-the walls of the auditorium literally surround you with memories: hundreds, maybe thousands of poems, letters, and laws of physics line the walls. In scenic designer Brandon Estrella brilliant immersion into Nola's fragile memories, I could not help but feel connected to her, a memory herself, just as Kevin did.

The intimacy between Kevin and Nola was palpable. Ultimately, it's a rather conventional tale, but it becomes heightened with the right amount of tenderness, charisma, and authenticity. Linnea Ingalls brought all three components in the entirety of Nola's rapid aging. Matthew Lang's portrayal of Kevin-a by-the-book nice guy-provided a layer of selfishness that complimented Tiffany Chancey's portrayal of Carol nicely. Chancey was provided the room to feel neglected without coming off as overly needy or jealous. Duffy showed that he commits to any kind of role, no matter the extravagance in his portrayal of optimistic, curious Dan. Duffy may have wiped off his makeup and pulled his hair back tightly for his second role, but his perfect comedic timing and enthusiasm were left on (though it was fun seeing Zanth chest glitter peak out beneath Dan's plain, khaki shirt). Olivia Lee packed a punch in both relatively secondary characters Shannara and Rebecca. Lee is an incredible singer, so Shannara hamming up every song like Mariah was simultaneously funny and beautiful. Rebecca's character does not particularly move the story along in any way, but Lee transformed her into an unforgettable performance of comedic genius.

STAGEright beautifully celebrated these two stories separately by creating two different experiences. However, the message of love and the human spirit stayed consistent throughout the performances with the dance between artifice and reality, human and machine, the tactile and the intangible. Sincerely, I could go on and on about how much I loved this play, but that would give readers less time to buy tickets.

I give "Weird Romance" 5/5 stars.

"Weird Romance" runs through February 20, 2016. For tickets and information, visit www.seattlestageright.org.

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