My overall impression
Bravo to the entire cast, as well as to the playwright. In her one-act drama: Anaconda, Sarah Doyle iss able to create authentic characters, which were richly brought to life by the four-person ensemble.
Based on a true Australian account, Ms. Doyle captures the essences of the tormented victim, Jonathan Roumie; the conflicted conscience of the not-so-innocent bystander turned lawyer, Martin Dingle Wall; the popular high school beauty turned real estate agent, wife, Jordan Ballard; and the “hold-the-mirror-in-your-face,” forgiving high school friend, Jeremy Glazer.
The play opens with murderer Phil Becker (Roumie) in his prison cell, a disturbed individual with controlled rage. Matty Buttiker (Wall) enters to offer his legal services pro bono. It is not until Buttiker and his wife, Bivva Bray (Ballard), start to discuss his new case that we come to discover council’s dubious connection to Becker’s past.
With more information provided by Tove Hegharty (Glazer), the agonizing truth of Becker’s abuse, at the hands of his fellow classmates in boarding school, is brought to light – raw, visceral and vividly imagined in the audience’s mind.
Unexpectedly, Ms. Doyle is able to include some lighthearted moments in this otherwise dark story. Excellent performances by all!
