I admit right up front to a Sam Shepard proclivity: Midwestern pathos, torn-apart sets, absurd action both hilarious and brutal, his work is familiar and alien, more powerful for the juxtaposition. However, a company cannot rest on the strength of Shepard's writing. On the contrary, his particular brand of dark, uneasy drama, in the wrong hands would fall embarrassingly flat. Luckily, Shattered Globe Theatre proves itself more than up to the task.
"Buried Child" is the bizarre story of a grandson, Vince (David Dastmalchian), who, with his girlfriend, Shelly (Helen Sadler) stops by his grandparents' farmhouse en route to visit his father in Santa Fe. Once there, the two realize that, rather than taking a Norman Rockwell-esque jaunt to the heartland, they've stumbled into a situation more gruesome than quaint.
The cast, unvaryingly solid, boasts several standouts. Maury Cooper, convincing as drunkard grandfather Dodge, hacks and mumbles his way through the script, laughter and stunned silence in his wake. Gerrit O'Neil as Vince's shell-shocked father has a way with slow, studied movement, his reticent speech causing the audience to lean in. And Sadler embodies a role rife with contradictions, from which she creates a woman of flesh and blood. The play's pace and tone, attributable as much to director Steve Scott as to Shepard himself, are both pitch-perfect. Scott's smooth, space-conscious direction is aided by scenic designer Kevin Hagan’s faultless set.
By the time "Buried Child" reaches its climax, dishware has been hurled, a false leg stolen, window screens have been shredded and dining room tables trod upon, yet for all the over-the-top action, the play’s essence shines through, stripped-down and still.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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