By Lorrinda Christensen
What happens when two families in an unnamed Middle Eastern country who both have keys to the same house try to live in it together? The Owl Girl is a story of two families living in a time of unrest: one displaced, removed from their home and now living in a camp, the other, living in the house formerly occupied by the first family. The fathers (Brad Davis and Torin Scoffield) play chess; the mothers (Kalika Rose and Kate Lanphier) cook together; the lovers (Napsugar Hegedus and Ibraim Quraishi) dream of a better future; and war mad children (Breean Taylor and Laura Witkop) play doctor and murder.
When I decided to go see The Owl Girl at the University of Utah’s Studio 115, I had no idea what to expect. I tried to research the play and find out more, but found little in reference to the show. It is fairly new – I could only find one other instance of it being performed anywhere – and from what I later found out, has only been staged readings, not performed. It is a thought-provoking play about these two families: both very different, yet very much the same.
Most of the play takes place in the house, which uses the theatre space very efficiently. The set is divided into three levels: the roof, a bedroom, and the kitchen/family area of the home. I really enjoyed how set designer Haley Nowicki used this space. There were minimal pieces being moved on and off between scenes, if any, which made things flow very well. The costume design by Sarah Rogers was timeless. I particularly liked that, along with the lack of mention of a specific time period for setting the play, the costumes could have been from a wide time range as well, thus making the show as relevant today as twenty years ago.
Director Alexandra Harbold did an exceptional job telling the story of these two families and their struggles to get past their differences and learn to get along and ultimately become their own kind of family.
The entire cast played their parts with passion and conviction and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Breean Taylor, who played Capi the younger brother of Stel, kept up her energy the entire show spinning around in circles, shooting other family members while playing war and dying dramatically on the floor. That, combined with Laura Witkop’s prowling and pouncing across the stage as Anja, who believed she was an array of different animals including a lion, a leopard and an owl, made the play more entertaining and brought a bit of humor to an otherwise austere subject.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys thought provoking and intense theatre. The Owl Girl runs through Sunday November 2, and has a talkback session with the cast following the performance on Oct. 31.
At 7:30 PM
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240 South 1500 East, Room 206, Salt Lake City, Utah 84020
Tickets available now at Kingsbury Hall www.kingtix.com or by calling 801-581-7100.
General: $18
UofU Faculty, Staff, Seniors age 60 and over: $15
Military and their immediate families: $15
U of U students FREE with Arts Pass
Other students: $8.50
For group discounts of 20 or more call 801-581-6406.
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