By Ben Watson
UK trained playwright Whit Hertford and Riot Act Theater transform Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters into Mopey Wrecks, presented in the Ember SLC event space, running weeknights until September 6th. The prospect of seeing Chekhov’s classic sibling drama reimagined was both challenging and thrilling. Entering the dark passage into the Thomas George designed set from the exterior of the Ember event space, I was significantly teleported to every mismatched living room and kitchen of my childhood. Settling into our seats, my companion and I felt at once engaged in the space and as if we were intruding on what was sure to be a family gathering. Our intrusion was rewarded by providing an exquisite intimacy with the immensely talented Riot Act players, and with the understanding that this experience was far from the black box/small theater norm.
Sibling drama is a trope familiar to many, but as Ellesse Hargreaves, Nicki Nixon, and McKenzie Steele-Foster bring Olga, Masha, and Irina Prozorov, respectively, to life as sisters mourning the loss of their Rock Music legend father. The opening occasion is the morose celebration of Irina’s 20th birthday. Explained in deft exposition by Utah theater legend Dame Anne Cullimore Decker in the role of grandmother Anfisa, the gathering establishes early the dynamics between the sisters and their oft forgotten brother, Andre, played genuinely by Aaron Kramer. Overshadowing the group are two ideas: that life was somehow better in the past in the City, and that their father built this house as a free-spirited refuge for family and friends (mostly travelling musicians) alike.
Into this world enter those swirling ancillary but essential characters. Roland “Doc” Chebutykin, imagined in drunken splendor by Darryl Stamp, leads the invasion, bringing with him Andy Rindlisbach’s earnest Baron Tuzenbach, Jesse Harward as the towering Alex Vershinin, and Hertford as the mystical and quirky Saul Solyony. They collectively represent the past and future of the Prozorov family, bridging the time gap between what was and what might be. Rindlisbach’s character unobtrusively becomes the pivot around which the stellar and captivating Steele-Foster moves her Irina. Her burgeoning sexuality in the opening act transforms via manner, appearance, and costume to intellect and anguish over the arc of family time. Other additions to the “circus,” as Decker calls them, are the inevitably cuckolded husband to sister Masha, Fred Kulygin. This role, filled with comic aplomb by Roger Dunbar, is by turns shockingly funny and tragically subservient. Against Nixon’s fiery but tentative Masha, Dunbar shrinks but tries valiantly to save face. Of special note is Brighton Hertford as Natasha Ivanova. Real life sibling of the director, Hertford stepped into the role with less than 2 days’ notice on the withdrawal of another actor, and somehow makes this polarizing character fully formed and powerful.
The instant switch from bitter opponent to protective sister and back is fascinating to watch, and played brilliantly by Hargreaves, Nixon, and Steele-Foster. It is for these moments that the intimate seating is so essential. To see the fire in these actors eyes turn from one another to an outwardly-focused protective cloche is fleeting and unsettling. Lesser actors might have halted in this transition, but these three seem to have formed an impregnable bond. So tight is this shell, in fact, that Kramer’s Andre, the cerebral and catalytic brother, makes no headway in joining the circle. The sisters share common ground in the shadow cast by their father, and the reliquary urn holding his remains looms large as it sits incongruously on the kitchen table. Deep in the second act, a moment occurs which coalesces the loss of familial stability into a visceral representation of the deep despair each sister feels. Masha stands at a turntable, playing their father’s greatest hits on vinyl as Irina sits forlornly on the couch, and Olga leans against one of the solid support beams of the house. Hargreaves sighs at the sound of the ghost filling the room, and grasps the beam as if to regain the foundation their father provided. Her nuanced face shows every ounce of this outreach, and her gentle sing-along transports the audience momentarily to a happier time. I was absolutely moved.
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Hertford’s masterful script gives accessibility to the timeless Chekhovian themes, and his choice to play Saul while also directing connects him uniquely to his cast. This challenging task he refers to as “a suicide mission… not for the faint of heart.” But he continues, “it becomes wholly collaborative amongst the ensemble and requires the utmost in agreement and bravery.” Mopey Wrecks is an apt title, considering the content, but the language and innuendo is contextual and never gratuitous. That said, this is not light treacle for easy consumption. Mopey Wrecks is at once a full meal of serious issues and meaning, and a brilliantly funny dark comedy. Either way, this is a play which will percolate through your subconscious for some time.
Playing through September 6th at the Ember SLC event space, Mopey Wrecks is the latest in a string of avant garde productions for Riot Act Theater. Founder Hertford says: “I really try to make sure Riot Act stands apart from other theater experiences, and the brand has had great success in London, so I’m just trying to carry that over here.”
Push aside any trepidation at the challenge presented by Riot Act works. If you consider yourself a serious student of theatrical accomplishment, you owe it to yourself to see Mopey Wrecks from Whit Hertford and Riot Act Theater.
Riot Act Theater presents Mopey Wrecks By Whit Hertford
Ember SLC, 623 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
August 29-31, September 3-6, 2018 7:30 PM
Tickets: $17-19
Riot Act Facebook Page
Mopey Wrecks Facebook Event
Note: This review is one of two that Front Row Reviewers Utah gave to this production, at the suggestion of the director and the delight of the two reviewers who wanted to cover it.
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