Nick Garrison as Aaron Kreifels, the student who discovered Matthew Shepard tied to the fence. Photo by Eric Stuhaug
Review: The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufmann and the Tectonic Theater Project. Produced by Strawberry Theatre Workshop. Directed by Greg Carter. With Shanna Allman, Alycia Delmore, Nick Garrison, Shawn Law, Marty Mukhalian, Galen Joseph Osier, Betsy Schwartz, and John Ulman. At the Erickson Theatre Off Broadway now through August 7.
I want you to do something for me. In a moment, I want you to open a new window and go to the Brown Paper Tickets website and order tickets to go see Strawberry Theatre Workshop’s production of The Laramie Project; it plays now through August 7 so you have a choice of dates in which to see it. But, go soon because after you see it once, you might want to book another visit to see it again. It’s a superbly acted, immaculately directed, and exquisitely designed production of an American classic of dramatic literature and one of the most emotional, powerful and moving nights you will have in a Seattle theater this year. It is a joy to behold and the reason why I write “honest” theatre reviews, ie, reviews where I state my opinion of the qualities; good, bad or indifferent of local theater productions. If I truly admire a theater production, it means I really think it has merit and is worth the reader’s time and money to go see it. And, in my honest opinion, every live theater fan in the city should immediately book their tickets to see this excellent production…yes, it’s that good.
Marty Mukhalian as Alison Mears and Betsy Schwartz as Marge Murray, two local women interviewed for The Laramie Project. Marge Murray was the mother of Reggie Fluty who treated Matthew at the scene of the crime, and was exposed to Matthew’s Hiv positive blood. Photo by Eric Stuhaug
For many LGBTQ theater lovers, the story behind the creation of The Laramie Project is a familiar one. Playwright/director Moisés Kaufmann was looking for a new collaborative project for his Tectonic Theatre Project following the enormous success of his 1997 play, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. The murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming in October 1998 and the resulting outcry from the LGBTQ community and their allies for legal protections for queer victims of hate crimes presented an unique opportunity for the theater; to create a dramatic, politically powerful piece of theater that could be used as a tool to effect changes, both legally and socially, in the way society treats the queer community generally, and queer victims of hate crimes specifically. Kaufmann and 10 members of Tectonic traveled to Laramie a month after the crime to interview dozens of participants in the case as well as ordinary Laramie citizens to discuss and reflect on the implications of the tragedy. Hundreds of hours of testimony were shaped and formed into a piece that dramatizes the effects of the crime, the investigation, the trial, the media attention and the social implications of the events of October 1998, into a play that utilizes the actual words of sixty of those people into a powerful, truthful but inherently theatrical and rich document of an event that changed the lives of not only the people of Laramie Wyoming, but ultimately the lives of all LGBTQ Americans.
The results from that collaboration became The Laramie Project, and the staging of the play reflects that process. The set is simple and sparse; an office space divided up into sections; a table and bulletin board stage right piled with notebooks and reference materials; a similar set up center stage and to the left, a casual seating area with a couch and a couple of chairs. The actors are onstage, having casual conversations with one another, in character as the creators of the play, the members of the Tectonic Theater. Gradually, the house lights dim, the stage lights come up and the actors on stage, portraying the Tectonic team, begin the process of creating the play as they read the testimony from the interviewed subjects and instinctively begin to act out the parts of the various people as they tell their stories, each actor changing roles and personalities from segment to segment, one moment portraying a character that might be 70 and conservative and angered by the attention, the next portraying a character in their 20’s, or a gay character, or a native Westerner, or a transplant from the South, or occasionally playing a member of the opposite sex. Some vignettes are brief; others are longer and more complicated and deeper and more layered. Frequently the focus of attention will intercut from one scene on one side of the stage to another scene on the other and back again, interweaving like jump cuts in a film.
The men of Laramie: From left to right, Nick Garrison, John Ulman, Galen Joseph Osier and Shawn Law. Photo by Eric Stuhaug.
It’s a brilliant structured piece of theater and in the very able hands of director Greg Carter, the play moves seamlessly from one vignette to the next, creating a powerful fully realized dramatic whole. Mr Carter’s work is enhanced by the subtle but strong production design of L.B. Morse who not only designed the set and the lights, but the effective video projections that appear throughout the play as a sort of Greek Chorus to the events being witnessed on stage. Between this production and Mr Morse’s work on “Awesome”‘s production of West at On the Boards this spring, he has become one of my favorite designers in the city and he is a figure to watch in the Seattle theater scene, (if he isn’t snapped up by a theater company in a larger market…) And, one of the member’s of “Awesome”, John Osebold provided the haunting and poignant original music for the play. Mr Osebold’s skills as an actor, musician, composer and director make him another person of interest for Seattle theater patrons. All of the talented people involved in The Laramie Project prove that Seattle is home to some exceptionally strong theatrical artists.
Alycia Delmore as Reggie Fluty. Photo by Eric Stuhaug
This is also very much evident ON stage as well. All eight actors in The Laramie Project are proven theater professionals, and all eight are worthy of praise for their work, seamlessly changing from character to character over the course of the evening and displaying the range of their talents and each one being given more than one moment in which to shine. Shanna Allman’s very funny portrayal of local theater director Rebecca Hilliker was a crowd favorite, but Ms Allman was equally as powerful in portraying smaller and quieter characters. Alycia Delmore’s handling of Reggie Fluty, the tough but terrified deputy who treated Matthew at the scene and was exposed to his HIV positive blood gave that character humor and pathos and meaning…she was equally as fine as proud teen Muslim Zubaida Ula, a young woman unafraid of living a life of candor behind the veil of the chador. As Reggie Fluty’s chainsmoking, cackling, trailer park mama, Marge Murray, Betsy Schwartz was tough, funny and a Marlboro scented breath of fresh air and demonstrated why she is one of Seattle’s most interesting actresses. And, Marty Mukhalian portrayed a such a wide variety of characters, ranging from teenaged sluts to aged grandmothers with such conviction and chameleonic flair, that you begin to wonder if she had spent some time at Second City…her gift for rapid, and extreme character changes made her an invaluable member of this acting team.
And, the men in the cast did not let this team down; all four actors give riveting performances from Shawn Law’s cocky and larger than life bartender, Matt Galloway to Galen Joseph Osier’s monstrous portrayal of Fred Phelps and his polar opposite, the heartbroken father to Matthew, Dennis Shepard and to Nick Garrison’s haunting portrayal of Aaron Kreifels, the young student who discovered Matthew’s battered body in the early evening hours of October 7, 1998 and was forever changed by the experience. All three of these actors give exceptional performances, but if I had to single one of them out, it would be John Ulman and his powerful but subtle and utterly convincing portrayals of several key roles in the production. Mr Ulman successfully channeled the snaky charms of cab driver Doc O’Connor, the honest integrity of Father Roger Schmit and the earnest naivete of drama student Jedadiah Schultz with the utmost conviction and believability. It’s a strong and textured performance from a very compelling actor, leading an equally fine cast of fellow actors at the top of their form.
I don’t lie about things I love…Go, now, and buy your tickets to The Laramie Project. You need to do at least ONE arty thing this summer that has some dramatic integrity…make it The Laramie Project.
-Michael Strangeways
About the Author: Michael Strangeways
