Review: Rapture of the Deep by Eric Lane Barnes. At The Balagan. Directed by John Vreeke. With Bobby Temple, Kris Mainz, Lauren Kottwitz, Alyssa Keene, Dylan Zucati. Now through September 25.
I think a lot of people think that a “bad”, or negative review is easy to write, or, at least easier to write than a positive or ambivalent review. Those people are wrong. Unless you’re just going to be snarky and mean and say, “This is awful…I hated it!” a well-written negative but critically analysed review is very difficult to write. My review of Balagan Theatre’s production of “Rapture of the Deep” is going to be a very tough row to hoe, I’m sad to say. It’s not a good play.
Eric Lane Barnes is a local performer and playwright with a couple other plays under his belt. “Rapture of the Deep” is self-described as an autobiographical play with music based on the author’s family and in particular, his relationship with his “Uncle Jimmy”. The play features two settings, set in different times, a contemporary plot set in Madison, Wisconsin featuring a 16 year old named Guy Crowell and his relationship with his mother and her memories of her beloved little brother, Jimmy who died in childhood; and, a flashback plotline featuring his mother, Wanda and her brother Jimmy and what happened to them the summer of 1975 in their rural Kentucky hometown. There is a third story featured in “Rapture”, that of Guy’s best friend, a heavy set, Goth girl named Bethany and the relationship between the two friends and Bethany’s deeply Christian and recently born again mother, Eileen. All these stories ATTEMPT to intertwine and reflect on each other, but the primary problem with “Rapture of the Deep” is the fact that what appears to be the strongest autobiographical aspects of the play, the “Uncle Jimmy” scenes, are the weakest, least interesting and most cliched parts of the play. The flashback scenes with the young Wanda and preteen preacher little brother Jimmy, never really connect with the other aspects of the play and are corny stereotypes of rural Southerners. We’ve seen the “Southern Gothic” story in scores of plays, films and books. Nothing new or interesting is being presented here. And, the Wanda character is originally presented as being an important character in the play and the connective tissue between the two timelines, but the character is never allowed to connect with the other characters, or the audience. The troubled relationship between Guy and his mother, Wanda, is initially presented as a primary plot line, but it’s never really developed. The characters never interact until the final scenes of the play! Neither character is very interesting and I never really cared about the Crowell-Jenkins family and their history of problems and miscommunication. That is a problem when they are presented as being the primary characters of your play!
That’s the primary problem with this play; unfocused and dull main characters and plot. The second problem with this play is that the secondary plot line; the story of Goth Best Friend Bethany, her religious but deeply depressed mom Eileen and the friend, Guy, who comes between them, is by far and away the most interesting parts of the play! Bethany and her mom are well-conceived, INTERESTING character creations and Mr Barnes gives them the best lines in the play. I was fascinated by their personalities and their relationship and Guy’s interactions with THEM, as opposed to the ones with his family, made GUY an interesting, though inconsistent, character in those scenes. This plot line is far from perfect; it’s not developed fully and there are some clunky lines and inconsistencies, BUT, it is the one with the most PROMISE. I would encourage Mr Barnes to rewrite this play and place the emphasis on them, and not the Wanda/Jimmy plot. Family stories might make for good story-telling within your own family; it doesn’t mean they make for a good play…
One other beef with this play…it is very, very religious and spiritually themed. Ultimately, it reveals a disdain for the hypocrisies of organized Christianity, but it is still deeply ground in Christian rhetoric. It would only take a minor rewrite and this could be honestly presented at a big suburban, New Christian, Casey Treat type church as this weeks “Christian Youth Theater” presentation. If you are not inclined to enjoy theatrical displays of Christian dogma, despite any ultimate negative realizations, then this is most definitely not the play for you…
I’m not going to say much else about this production. Since the text itself is at fault, it’s difficult and maybe unnecessary to find fault with actors or designers or production values. This is Balagan’s final production in this space, (they have not yet announced their new location, by the way) and they might not have the funds or energy to go all out with production values. It’s not their strongest effort with lighting, sets or costumes. Acting-wise, this show is all over the place with different levels of talent and experience and acting styles. I will single out two actors though…the only times my interest was piqued with the actions on stage was when Lauren Kottwitz’s Goth girl Bethany, or her mom, Eileen, played by Alyssa Keene, were front and center. Ms Keene is an experienced theatre professional and was excellent in an unlikeable role; Eileen does some awful things, but is ultimately sympathetic and pitiable and that was only made possible by the talent of the actress playing her. Lauren Kottwitz is a young actress with a large amount of talent and a huge amount of stage charisma. Bethany is an interesting, vibrant, fully realized character due to Ms Kottwitz’s performance that always seems real, natural, organic and grounded in the moment even when the material fails her. She is also an excellent singer, with a beautiful singing voice. I want to see MORE of Lauren Kottwitz in bigger and better roles and plays. Seattle theater companies please take note; she is an up and comer and worthy of your attention!
I cannot recommend you see this play. But, I think Mr Barnes has talent and potential as a playwright. I think he needs to head back to his writing den and tear this play apart and start from scratch with a revised work based on the lives of Lauren and her messy mother. I would pay to see that play.
-Michael Strangeways
