Review: THIS IS OUR YOUTH at Jabara Flexible Theatre In De Mattias Hall At Newman University

DO NOT MISS THIS PLAY! If you are yearning for a well done, intelligent comedy, this is the one to see! It's also Leo Larson's last show in Wichita before he heads off to DePaul University in Chicago to study playwriting, so make sure you fit it in before it closes this Sunday.

This Is Our Youth is a play by Phillip Lonergan. It takes place in 1982 and follows the antics of three youths adrift in New York City. The play takes place in the dingy apartment of Dennis Ziegler (Hunter Bartholomew), the abusive, manipulative drug dealing so called best friend of Warren Straub (Leo Larson), an abused nineteen-year-old who steals fifteen thousand dollars from his father, who has earned millions from his lingerie business, and Jessica Goldman (Sydney Alder), an anxious but perceptive young woman Warren unexpectedly falls for. The play reflects not only the zeitgeist of the 80's, but a look at that moment between adolescence and adulthood, when young people finally leave home and venture out into the world on their own.

Quinn Warren directed this piece and did an excellent job. The pacing was brisk, and the actors understood the material well. Warren's blocking was extremely fluid and made excellent use of the space. These actors were really listening to each other and connecting with the material. I could understand every word that was uttered. Their comedic timing was impeccable, and their ensemble work was filled with an electric energy.

Warren also did the sound design, and I enjoyed the fact that sounds came from the actual sources, including a TV and turntable speakers. Lucas Farney's lighting design perfectly mimicked the dingy incandescent glow of a dank NYC apartment, and was incredibly even.

Sydney Alder played Jessica as a world weary, frazzled NYC hipster chick with great intensity. She costumed herself in an eccentric, luxe red velvet dress with black velvet gloves, and frizzy crimped hair. Alder also acted as Intimacy Director, choreographing the deliciously awkward make out scene between her Jessica and Larson's Warren. Larson did a great job as Warren, wonderfully combining the physical attributes of a stressed, nervous young man, with emotional urgency. Bartholomew's Dennis was a great portrait of a manic, a rollercoaster ride tinged with paranoia that culminated in a dose of reality. I loved Dennis' shirt - it was a perfect 80's take on Charlie Brown's signature yellow and black tshirt.

This Is Our Youth runs August 18th - 21st, Thursday through Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm in The Jabara Flexible Theatre in De Mattias Hall at Newman University. Tickets are $20, with $15 tickets for Students, and are available at the door. It is presented by Larson's Kansas Lion Productions. See it now, or regret it FOREVER!

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