Review by anonymous
June 11, 2018What I liked
The ensemble cast works extremely well together. Playing a difficult role, Scott Kuza (Tommy) creates empathy and honesty in a part that a less conscientious actor could very easily ruin with over-indulgence and stereotyping.
Kyle Felts manages to convey the sharp grief and guilt over his past mistakes into clear (the character thinks) actions that can make up for his past transgressions and try to build a new life. So convinced is the character of Sam that he is doing the right thing by the people around him (in order for him to repent), that he ultimately drives this group of people to ruin.
Jessie Holder Tourtellotte, as Angelica, is given the most difficult task of all. At the center of these two men, Angelica is trying to build a new life for herself while also honoring the commitments of her past life, which any audience member who has felt trapped between two worlds will easily be able to understand. Over the course of the play, Angelica’s entire world teeters on the brink, and Holder Tourtellotte’s performance, filled with astonishing vulnerability and hope, as well as flashes of pure fire and heartbreak, never lets the audience sit back in their seats. While the audience might be tempted to judge Angelica at first, Holder Tourtellotte’s grounded and truthful performance forces that audience to ask themselves, “If I were in Angelica’s shoes, wouldn’t I do the same?”
What I didn't like
The director could have allowed for a few more moments of breath and stillness on stage, and while the script’s use of voicemails of a past character is a wonderful writing touch, the quality of the audio is regrettably poor.
My overall impression
Wounded is an immaculately written play that explores how pain (physical and emotional), and the people who are living with those scars try and find reprieve or relief from them.
Playwright Kerry Kazmierowicztrimm has created a wonderfully human, gut-wrenching script that grabs the audience by the belt-buckle and does not let them go until the final lights out.
