photo: Andy Rothenberg
As the lights come up on this controversial 90-minute one-act, the tension explodes—and doesn't let up until the dramatic climax. Ian, a middle-aged British journalist, and Cate, his young lady friend, enter a modest hotel room in Leeds. The fact that Ian wears a shoulder holster, continually peers out the window and draws his gun every time there's a knock at the door creates an anxiety for the audience that foreshadows the horror to come.
Sparkling with tension, the Midwest premiere of late British playwright Sarah Kane's apocalyptic view of a world gone made has an almost surreal quality about it. As each of the characters maneuvers around each other in a physical and emotional dance of terror, the audience is forced to examine its feelings toward violence of every kind.
The "blast" prophesized in the play's title comes from more than just the bomb that rips through Ian and Cate's hotel room; it serves as a metaphor for the destruction of our complacency to the horrors we witness on a daily basis. In this production, every unspeakable act is witnessed and every blasphemous word is spoken in rapid succession, without so much as an intermission to break the tension. Be warned that this is neither a play for young nor the more sensitive theatergoer. Full-frontal nudity, several instances of rape, severe beatings, gun shots, a devastating bomb blast and even cannibalism explode rapidly and brutally onto the stage, where the audience is never more than a few feet from the actors.
Speaking of actors, this unbelievable ensemble's grasp of the subject matter, the theme and mood and their command of character (each dialect perfect thanks to the work of Tiffany Bedwell), sets A Red Orchid's production far above that of most other theaters. Director Karen Kessler has expertly given audiences an unflinching look, not just the atrocities of war, but at the horror that has become a large part of our everyday lives. Special mention must be made of Joseph Fosco's unforgettable sound design, Laura Hamm's brilliant lighting effects and Grant Sabin's exploding set, without which this play would lack much of its sizzle.
Playing at A Red Orchid Theatre; 1531 N. Wells St.,Chicago; (312) 943-8722; $14-$20; In an limited run playing at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday through March 4.
