My overall impression
Sewer Rats at Sea is a curious, dangerous story to come from such a young playwright. ZK’s language is intricate, intelligent and certainly dreamy. Aaron’s hand at direction is palpable: the actors dance across the stage in between snappy, verbal exchanges, and the sexual tension and danger of their encounter engages throughout. Without enough dramatic action, however, I found myself drifting off, returning to a loop of poetic descriptions.
My favorite moment was also my most hated: the “meta” line, in which Lauren Marie’s character alludes to Brecht, forcing the audience to acknowledge the artifice of the play. I could feel a collective groan/snicker pass through the audience. Perhaps with further script development, focusing on breaking the illusion of the 4th wall, this play could reach as far as it needs.
