What I liked
The use of “picnic blanket space” for the audience was especially intriguing. Granted, I barely made it to the show on time and had to sit there, but I thought it was such an interesting touch specifically for the type of play we were watching, and putting the audience almost right there in the garden with these two characters.
Good lighting. Great writing. Strong performances. This was a VERY strong piece!
Really liked how it ended. It felt earned, full-circle, and a perfect book-end.
What I didn't like
I wish Evangeline actually hit Isaac with the bible, instead of clearly throwing it against the back wall. Personally, it didn’t give the illusion that she “missed” by accident.
The writing was SO good – I can’t stress that enough. However, I felt like many of the scenes carried the same stakes, the same action, the same wants from the actors. Don’t get me wrong, the progression and build-up was there, but I noticed the characters were saying mostly the same things in each scene to each other. “Marry me,” v. “I can’t, I want to be a pastor.” I sometimes struggled to see why Isaac WOULD show up there other than to put himself in that same position over and over – like self-torture, but he wasn’t realizing it.
My overall impression
Strongly written and directed, Jesenski takes the audience straight to sacred ground and illustrates the struggle of God’s plan versus selfish human desire. I was especially entranced with Lily Rose Wadsworth’s portrayal of Evangline. She appeared so young, and naive, and innocent – her desperation made sense, and while she hiccupped a couple lines, she never broke character or lost the emotion driving her actions. Both actors were very strong considering the subject matter, and I was glued to them from the start.
