By Brian Gray
I first encountered The Jawbone’s Daughter at The Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival in 2017. Many productions at fringe festivals might be comparable to jumping into an icy lake. The shock and jolt of the experience takes the body out of its comfort zone. While most people may avoid this experience altogether, some actively pursue this thrill. For theatre, I am one of those people, seeking out the unconventional to shock my perception of how stories are told, how new and unique techniques can enhance ones perspective. For The Jawbone’s Daughter at Wasatch Theatre Company in Salt Lake City, this is one of those experiences.
To say what this play is about would be difficult and an exercise in futility. At its core, the play is an existential narrative on par with a Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. The Jawbone’s Daughter is set sometime in the distant future in a barren wasteland where the characters Flince (Jon Liddiard), wearing a dingy white three-piece suit, and Strothe (Chris Bentley), wearing tattered street clothes, wander in desperate need for food and water. After ruminating upon who might beat the other to death for sustenance, a door is opened, and Drummond (Eric Paul Lyman), wearing a collage of tattered military apparel, carries a podium with a telephone, bell, and a note reading “Ring for service,” onto the stage. Upon placing the podium onstage, Drummond disappears behind the door. Upon seeing this, Flince, with his professorial parlance, attempts to exhort Drummond through the door, refusing to ring the bell. Only until Strothe rings the bell does Drummond emerge and engages the two characters, mostly Flince. The content of the dialogue is meandering, farcical, and ultimately unveils deeper existential ruminations.
Upon entering the theatre space, I was initially struck by the absolute minimal set, initially consisting of a wall with a door, and four or five large granite stones. There are additional props added to the set throughout the play, but for the most part, everything remains minimal. This ultimately focuses the audience attention on the acting. The actors, Liddiard, Bently, and Lyman, do not shirk from the challenge. Each actor fill in their characters in incredibly engaging manners, each with their own unique and distinct trait. Liddiard affects a sophisticated lilt and pomp as Flince, revealing his former profession as an instructor at a community college. Lyman’s performance as Drummond serves a foil to Flince, a military-like character bent on enforcing absurd rules, disappearing and reappearing as different military characters. Bentley’s Strothe certainly has less lines, but serves no less a role in his actions and reactions throughout the play. All three combine to perform a fantastic absurdist farce. Director Jake Ben Suazo utilizes the short script and excellent actors to their best abilities to create a production that is definitely not short on entertainment value.
The Jawbone’s Daughter really comes together for me, showcasing intriguing storytelling techniques, complimented by great acting. Running at only 38 minutes, I only wish this was a bit longer. Yet, despite its brevity, this play certainly covers a lot of ground. If you are seeking out unique storytelling with a touch of fringiness, this play is for you. At only $10 a ticket (certainly due to its short length), this would be hard for theatre goers to pass up.
Wasatch Theatre Company presents The Jawbone’s Daughter by Eric Paul Lyman
Wasasatch Theatre Company, 124 S 400 W, Salt Lake City, UT, 84101
October 4-6, 11-13, 8 PM
Tickets: $10
Contact: 801-869-4600, wasatchtheatrecompany@gmail.com
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