My overall impression
This show has a very strong script with strong characters. Unfortunately when I saw this production on opening night, the characters seemed to all be insane, neurotic, mean, and dumb, instead of bringing out each persons vulnerability, their fears, their wants, and their needs. I wanted to care for them but I didn’t.
The chemistry between Cliff and Alice was completely missing. They were at each others throats from beginning to end, yelling at each other, even when they both wanted to devour each other. Alice’s character was supposed to be “sweet, dumb, and weak” but the sweetness was completely missing as was her weakness. She was a strong, crazy woman from the beginning. Hard to believe a man would fall for a woman like that (not even for some casual sex) unless he was crazy. Which Cliff seemed to be, as he was animalistic from beginning to end, missing the beats where he should have been gentle, loving, needing, or desiring. Preacher’s character had some ups and downs but even she seemed to have been directed to play the “mean” person, instead of exploring internally who she was.
All characters should have explored their space more. They should have worked more on what it feels to be in a hot, stuffy room for even just a few hours. What does it feel to touch each other as well as ones self, if there are no other people alive, and you hunger for intimacy. What does ones voice sound like when there is only dust and nothing to drink? There is a lot of room to explore the play, the words, and the world that the characters were in.
I hope that after the Fringe this play will be worked on again. The silence should be explored, the tension between the characters, without rushing through the scenes. There could be some beautiful moments between each character and between all three of them. This play could take my breath away if performed right but tonight unfortunately it didn’t.
