By Jesse Nepivoda, guest reviewer
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There’s a moment that hits about halfway through Riot Act’s terrific production of Annie Baker’s play, The Aliens. Gathered around a table behind a Vermont coffee shop on the Fourth of July, KJ (Whit Hertford) stands still, a solitary arm thrusting a lit sparkler into the sky. Surrounding him are his brother-in-spiritual-arms Jasper (Austin Archer) and the seemingly almost new to the world Evan (Aidan Croft). The three of them stand there in silence, the only motions coming from the combusting of the sparkler and the slight smile and nod of contentment that emanate from Jasper.
The three stand there synced into one another all the while sharing a pang of recognition and acknowledgement that says, “This is us. We are here. And in this moment the world is perfect”.
It’s a beautifully still moment. It’s as iconic an image as I’ve seen on a Salt Lake City stage in 2018.
…and then the sparkler flickers out, leaving the three of them in darkness.
I kept returning back to that moment after the show was over and thinking of how it was a microcosm of the entirety of The Aliens itself – three characters coming together, however temporarily, in moments of clarity and understanding, only to flame apart in alienation and loneliness.
See this show.
Co-directors Hertford and Archer clearly understand a simple truism about presenting good theatrical writing and acting to an audience – “Step back and get out of the way”.
This is a simple story told in a simple way. There are no bells and whistles here. You want a set? You’ve got a picnic table and a plastic trash bin. You want lights? You’ve got two modes – ‘lights on’ and ‘lights kind of less on’. You want good acting that will carry this sucker to the roof? Got it.
And, really, what else do you need? What more do you need other than three actors who clearly have a mastery over Baker’s jittery rhythms and wide-open air (a note in the program/album liner notes from Baker states, “Half of this play…is silence”)? What more do you need than three actors with a wild understanding of the material ceaselessly playing with each other for the length of the piece?
See this show.
Know what you’re getting into. It’s not the show for all Utah audiences. There’s no real plot to speak of. Instead we simply spend time in the cocoon that Jasper and KJ have created for themselves, and we witness Evan popping that cocoon – or maybe we witness Evan being enveloped by that cocoon – or maybe we witness a combination of the two. Baker gives us hints into the lives of KJ and Jasper – we see bits and pieces about possible mental illness, drug abuse, and big ideas of the past that never materialized, but, really, all we know of them is the here and now and what we see transpire on a patch of Earth behind a coffee shop.
All three of the actors nail the material. A perfectly cast Croft nails the oscillation between Evan’s awkward loneliness and the fresh excitement he feels at finally being recognized as a person by two people that seem to actually be interested in what he thinks and has to say. Hertford’s KJ careens from moment to moment in search of actual, genuine feelings and when his KJ finds those feelings he erupts into near-maniacal joy or into deep bits of unease. The circles of dark under Hertford’s eyes radiate emotional scarring. He’s battled. Archer’s Jasper ties it all together. There’s an anger there, a sense of life in general just being unjust, but, more than that, there’s a sadness – there’s a recognition that life will never be what it should or could be. Even when he’s not onstage he looms over everything.
See this show.
Halfway through the year, Riot Act has delivered a production that by year’s end will rank up there with the best that Salt Lake City had to offer in 2018.
The run of the show is incredibly short – four performances. This short run basically guarantees it will be undeservedly unseen by most. Make the effort.
I, again, find myself returning to that particular image – KJ holding the sparkler high into the air as it fizzles and flickers. That image perfectly encapsulates Riot Act’s production of Baker’s show – brilliantly lighting the dark before disappearing into the night.
See this show.
Be a part of its fire.
Riot Act presents The Aliens, by Annie Baker
Ember, 623 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
July 4-8, 2018 7:30 PM
Tickets: $17-$19
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