By Chelsea Mortensen
The Author’s Voice by Richard Greenburg feels perfectly at home in the plucky original-artist energy of the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. It is hard to imagine a group of people who would find the story more applicable. It tells the story of an aspiring writer, a book editor determined to make him famous, and the problems we hide in the corners of our lives in order to be successful.
Portia, as played by Sarah Danielle Young, has a straightforward intelligence and sensuality that refuses to be made into the typical sexualized cheerleader that so many women are made into in stories about male artists. In fact, both the script and her performance work directly against this sexist trope by letting her react realistically to being made into a man’s one-dimensional muse. She is very much driven by her own desires and questions.
Marc Whittaker’s Gene is heart-wrenching, hilarious, unassuming, and even a little disturbing all at once. Fear of spoiling the reveal of his character refrains me from describing his function within the story, but suffice it to say he took me by surprise and then somehow kept me in the palm of his hand for the rest of the evening.
Spencer Belnap in the role of Todd resonates with a complicated emptiness, created by greed and egotism, that simultaneously feeds on and smothers any socially divergent creativity. It is difficult to explain, but this is not the kind of shallowness that makes a character boring. Rather it reflects the black holes in our own hearts that we would much rather ignore.
Director Darryl Stamp does a beautiful job throwing any unnecessary frills and thrills out the window to focus the staging on the characters and their attempts at self-realization. He makes the story shine by letting each moment speak for itself, and it is hard to look away, as the story is refreshing and thought-provoking all on its own. I especially loved looking at it as an allegory for what it means to be an artist in today’s corporate, reputation-driven industry.
The Author’s Voice ends this weekend at the close of the Great Salt Lake Fringe festival, so be sure to add this one to your calendar before you miss your chance to see this delightful piece of work.
Local Independent Theatre Presents The Author’s Voice by Richard Greenberg at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival
The Gateway, 400 W 100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
August 4-11, 2019, showtimes vary (see festival website for details)
Get Tickets: $10 + $5 festival entrance stamp
Contact: gslfboxofficestaff@gmail.com
Local Independent Theatre Facebook Page
The Author’s Voice Facebook Event
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