What I liked
Effective, entertaining use of classic horror tropes—creepy nursery song, (he got the haunting, taunting, creepy sing-song recording PERFECT), alien invasion, TV static (always bad news from the Dark Side when your screen goes fuzzy!), a priest, a stoic anchorman (who even throws in a bit of a Dan Rather courage thing at the end). I especially love the nod at horror master Hitchcock. (There is a reference to the Birds.) Tom has really done an impressive amount with very little. I never watch horror movies (big chicken, here, easily spooked), but wanted to support a fellow Fringer. So glad I did! Highly entertaining. BOTH Siskel and Ebert rose from their graves (it’s a creepy show, after all) to give it 2 thumbs up! That said, if I hear Risseldy, Rosseldy in my sleep, I will send Cavanaugh my therapist bill. (By “therapist”, I mean, of course, EXORCIST.)
What I didn't like
We are all at the mercy of a merciless god when it comes to tech. I am not sure these glitches could have been avoided; regardless of planning and practice, we simply cannot control the internet. I could hear the stage manager calling the show. Maybe that could be avoided/improved? I think we have to be more forgiving and less critical when it comes to these live internet forays, honestly, especially Zoom. (They should call it ZEUS.)
My overall impression
TOM CAVANAUGH CREATES ZOOM MAGIC! This is not so much a play as a live film. Very clever, resourceful use of Zoom platform, and doing a show with actors socially distanced from one another. A sampling of tasty horror/thriller/sci-fi tidbits with flavors of Halloween, Poltergeist, The Ex Files, Twilight Zone, and Person of Interest.
