Nocturne

What I liked

Ryan Lisman, Steve Voldseth

What I didn't like

More material for the female characters (play criticism and not a performance or production criticism)

My overall impression

Nocturne is an incredibly powerful story. What stood out about this particular production was the relationship between Father and Son. Powerful turns from Ryan Lisman, the Son, and Steve Voldseth, the Father, drive this story forward with such nuanced performances. On a technical note, I was very impressed with the amount of material Mr. Lisman had to work with and how he delivered it so effortlessly while making it so specific. Without giving away spoilers, Mr. Voldseth’s monologue and scenes with Ryan were so moving that they brought me to tears. I could really see the Father’s memories and life playing out before his eyes. My only criticism is not really directed to this performance but to the play itself – I feel as if more time could have been given to the Mother, played by Lauren Holiday, and the Actress, played by Isabelle Hahn. Their presence added refreshing layers that could have been expounded upon further. But maybe that’s the play’s intent, to focus on the relationship between a Father and his Son. All in all, I left the performance thinking about my own relationship with my father and how quickly life goes by. I left this play thinking about life in a different way and that doesn’t happen very often. A huge congrats to everyone involved! See it while you still can! Special shoutout to Ryan, a dear friend. Well done sir! Well done! – JW