BWW Reviews: Lungfish's SOPHIE Long on Heart, Short on Intent

Pass the cigars around; it's the birth of a brand New Theatre Company. Lungfish Productions has just arrived and is currently presenting their first show, "Sophie" by Bryan Willis, as their first staged production over at The Downstage Theatre. And while the play itself didn't leave me reeling, you can definitely see in it the dedication and potential of this fledgling company.

We open the play with young teen Sophie (Walker Caplan) sitting on a bench at a train station waiting for ... well, we assume a train. Enter a slightly frazzled 20-something woman (Angelica Duncan) desperately looking to catch the next train out but she is having trouble remembering how she got there. Oh, and her name is Sophie as well. And thus begins a conversation and look into the hopes and dreams of these two young women as they wait for a train to take them on to their destination.

It's a sweet play with an ending that I unfortunately deduced right away but that sweetness doesn't seem to go anywhere. Willis' dialog is crisp, although a little heavy handed at times, and director Elizabeth Richmond Posluns keeps the pace up for this 50-minute chat but in the end that's all it is, a chat. There isn't a clear intent or goal for the characters, which just left me with a feeling of "and?" by the end. I don't expect the secrets of the universe to be revealed to me but in a character piece like this I expect the characters to at least discover something about themselves or else why are we there except to eaves drop on someone else's conversation.

The ladies do what they can with the characters and are both very likable. Caplan's sweetness seems to know no bounds and she's a quite engaging, driving force for the piece, but at times she gets a bit forced taking her beyond quirky and into "acting". And Duncan matches Caplan's likability and focus in the piece and makes a perfect counterpart for their exchange.

There's not much more to say. It was a short piece with some interesting characters that just didn't have that much to say. But what they did convey is the possibilities for this new company and a good start from which to grow.

"Sophie" from Lungfish Productions performs at the Downstage Theatre through November 23rd. For tickets or information visit them online at http://sophie.brownpapertickets.com.

Photo credit: Kyle James Traver

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