PW Presents: Tallgrass Gothic

Before PW's rendition of Tallgrass Gothic, audiences are notified of its use of strobe, fog, and the heavy themes with which the play deals. On the whole, its self-proclaimed "barrage on the senses" is an accurate descriptor of the production.  Director Emily Garrison '16 tests every facet of perception, never allowing dialogue, sound, movement or color to hold your attention alone.  Though Melanie Marnich's adaptation of the famous tragedy The Changeling runs only slightly longer than an hour, one leaves the Downspace feeling satisfyingly exhausted.The earliest indication of the show's quality is in the set.  Designer Zachary Silberberg '18 both encloses and exposes you to an arc of rope, wood and dust, a midwestern horror-scape that is birthed from the the surrounding barrenness.  In a show that deals with the timeless perils of human desire, tastefully anachronistic props makes one feel lost in time.  The set also features a cyc, a luminous fabric backdrop never before seen in the Downspace, used in combination with lighting to instill hope, terror, and mystifying emptiness in the world beyond the stage.The characters within this landscape adopt differing levels of the surrounding hopelessness with careful nuance, a feature that displays Tallgrass Gothic as a true tragedy even through its moments of romance and delight.  Laura, depicted carefully by Haley Schwartz '17, a married woman in a sexually conservative atmosphere, finds herself in a passionate love affair Daniel, played by Ezra Dulit-Greenberg '18.  The two teeter between desire and consequence so as to drive the tragic engine of the plot, and the warmth and coldness between the actors often radiates off the stage.The roles of Laura's husband, Tin (JD Laurence-Chasen '17), their friends Mary (Kat Boorstein '16), Scotto (James Williams '18), and the slimy, independent Filene (Brendan George '18) all serve to push the progress of the affair in their willed direction.  It's clear these surrounding characters were scrupulously developed during the production process, and no two share the same deceit or tactics of manipulation.Sound and music are striking original elements of the production.  The play's seven featured songs were written by Garrison, and are performed, both vocally and instrumentally, by the cast in the tone of a folky hymnal.  The songs often give pause to the sometimes jarring pace of the show, while lending religious subtext to the surrounding scenes.  Footsteps also echo on and off the stage, determining the pace of the scene while mimicking the audience's anticipation to see what will come next.Tallgrass Gothic exploits both the body and mind, and touches on sexual freedom as much as it does emotional complacency, affecting the audience viscerally but never cheaply.  The mental stimulation that accompanies the failing physical actions of the characters is what elevates the work from a mere sequence of disappointments portrayed onstage to a masterful theatrical tragedy. The cast and crew contribute evenly to this refreshing achievement.Tallgrass Gothic opens tonight, Friday, March 11th and runs through Monday, March 14th. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday, Sunday, and Monday, and 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday, with a talkback after the 5 p.m. show. Tickets are free and available at the PW box office an hour before the show. Content warning: This play deals directly with sexual assault, domestic violence, murder, and suicide. Haze, fog, and strobes will be used during the performance.Images via Danielle Perelman '17 and via.