By Chelsea Mortensen
I have yet to find a show that makes the audience laugh and cry in equal amounts as much as Company of Cohort’s The Byron Five in the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Very much in the vein of August: Osage County or This is Where I Leave You, it follows the delightfully dysfunctional quintet of siblings reunited in the wake of a family tragedy. Secrets, bad coping mechanisms, and long-held grudges simmer under the surface of teasing, strained politeness, and innuendos until breakdowns and confrontations erupt.
The show begins and ends with Michelle Lynn Thompson as Elizabeth, the oldest sibling who has easily sacrificed the most for the family and yet is the loneliest. This kind of type-A, conservative character is often written off by the audience as annoying or overbearing but Thompson infuses her with such sincerity that it is impossible to stop feeling for her.
Carlie Young’s portrayal of Cat is dexterously relatable not only to her motley crew of siblings but to the audience as well. Much as the second-oldest sibling tries to be the neutral ground for the room full of eccentric personalities, her own problems quickly refuse to be hidden behind polite repression and secrecy. Ali Lente as her partner Jack balances warmth with the awkwardness of first meeting your lover’s family in a way that gets right to the heart of the play’s conflict.
Max Huftalin’s Kipling effortlessly keeps the audience hanging on his every word. His perceptive sarcasm tinged with darkness allows him to say the things most of his siblings would rather repress or dance around.
Fitz as played by Jaiden Castleton is completely honest and endearing even in all of his problematic behavior and obliviousness that the audience quickly joins the rest of the siblings in their desire to see him protected. Louise Dapper in the role of his conflicted girlfriend Mel brings a beautiful subtlety and an important outside perspective that raises the stakes for all of the characters.
Suni Gigliotti’s rendition of Joan packs a double punch of irreverence and vulnerability from the moment she walks onstage. It’s impossible to look away, not that anyone would want to.
There are only a few more chances to catch this crowd pleaser, so hurry to get your Fringe tickets before they are gone!
Company of Cohorts presents The Byron Five at The Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival
The Gateway, 400 W 100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
August 9 10:30PM, August 10 9:00PM, August 11 4:30PM
Festival Admission $5, show tickets $10
Box Office Coordinator, Melissa Salguero: gslfboxofficestaff@gmail.com
Company of Cohorts Facebook Page
The Byron Five Facebook Event
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