Planet Connections Theatre Festivity presents
Hold/Monster @ The Gene Frankel Theater
June 7 – 20, 2011
Hold
Written by Ruben Carbajal
Directed by Kelly Johnston
The one-act play by Carbajal
On Tuesday night I ventured into the quaint Gene Frankel Theater to see theater that comes from the heart with such fervent zeal for a cause that it leaves the audience feeling ponderous and fallow for issues that every so pressing on society. Director Kelly Johnston staged Ruben Carbajal’s Hold, a story of a man who reaches out to a help hotline in dire need of some consolation only to encounter a woman with who sought serious help—it daunts on him that people sometimes find themselves struggling with nobody who can provide true consolation. Filled with wit and humor, James Lentini, the sole protagonist, reflects the desperation of a person simply wants to talk and is overwhelmed with his circumstances—yet his somber encounter with a women on the verge of suicide threatens to put his life on Hold. “You are at your wits end? You feel the need to end your life? I’ll be right with you. Hold Please.’ ‘Hold’ ‘Hold’ ‘Hold’”. This short 20 minute one man performance is surely worth a watch; its dark humor will certainly jolt* some laughs while addressing an issue that is especially pressing in a society that encounters more and more suicides from the most unexpected people. I certainly know next time a friend crawls to me for a shoulder to cry on I will think twice about putting her on hold and will pick up my phone calling in sick to work instead.
In collaboration with SPI ( Suicide Prevention International): http://www.spiorg.org/
Personal Rating: 5.3/10
Monster
Written by Sabrina M. Paterson
Directed by Gregory Lamont Allen
In a joint collaboration with RAIIN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) director Gregory Lamont Allen finesse uses the stage to display a family that now finds itself in shards, and a detective who pries into the innermost secrets to glue the brittle pieces together. Made up of an mixed ensemble of highly acclaimed actors and young actors making their debut, the cast found itself discordant at times amidst lighting difficulties that disrupted the general flow and different levels of performance. The combination of dilettante actors with experienced performers broiled a mixed effect. Basics like the performers voice projection and movement on stage where discordant. Technical difficulties aside, the play send a sinuous chill down my spine as a daughter with so much potential falls into a hotbed of mental insanity due to her father’s sexual abuse growing up.
The daughter and detective find themselves in the interrogation room, while the mother and father appear momentarily narrating their experience with their daughter and portraying parts of her subconscious. Allen unravels the untenable mystery by projecting between reality and Annie’s subconscious. In this poignant portrayal of a prominent families rupture, the blind Mother, the overly protective Father and the damaged daughter crushes your heart and makes you wonder if striving to have a picture-perfect family is worth the struggle.
http://www.rainn.org/
Personal Rating: 4.9/10
