What I liked
…
What I didn't like
This play needs more development. Playwright Lucas James Nelson has grabbed the dramatic themes in two fists, but the story requires more. Weitzel’s character needs an exterior conflict that Faye’s interior voice interferes with. (Maybe he’s getting a book of poetry published and is disagreeing with his editor and his anxiety begins to cripple him, etc.)
My overall impression
In ANGST, Spencer Weitzel rocks his anybody character, hounded by self-doubts and anxiety—ably portrayed onstage by Theo Fay—all over the theater and deep into our heads. At one time or another, we’ve all heard a defeatist interior voice tell us, “that won’t work, that’s stupid, no one will like it,” and stop us cold before we try. I’ve never seen a play where the voice personified harasses a character so completely and viciously. Great work from Weitzel, Fay and director Casey Buxton-Dean.
