A little bit o' "Luck" goes a long way

January 26, 2010

A little bit o' "Luck" goes a long way

As a producer who sees sometimes up to 6 shows in a week or more, I often am inundated with requests to come and see shows. Sometimes I am not so happy I have accepted and sometimes I'm delighted. In the case of Jonathan A. Goldberg's play The Luck of the Ibis I was thrilled. It's not often one gets to see a play that has this many things going for it. The script is incredibly smart (and all the more engaging for anyone who has a literary background), the actors are committed to the material, and the direction is so specific that it feels as if you could snap a picture at any moment and have an image worthy of a poster. I laughed hysterically, sat mouth agape in shock, and nervously laughed all in one sitting.

To give any sort of plot synopsis of the script in this post would be robbing you of the fun of seeing the show for yourself. Goldberg's narrative moves in such a way that every piece of exposition appears slowly along the edges of the story line like a silverfish and much like one, the second you grab at it, it disintegrates and you are moved to the next portion of the tale. I can say simply that shrimp, a chupacabra, a sea captain, and Ronald Reagan all co-exist within the narrative which should already wet the appetite. That being said, the show exceeds expectations in terms of the performances.

Nathaniel Kent's character work is particular impressive often turning on a dime from a mythical creature, to an embattled sea captain, Kent's truthful acting is a true stand out. Also impressive is Amy Landon's transformation from a nervous homeless woman to a quirky female detective. A transformation so complete, I was unsure as to whether it was the same actress playing the role. The last time I had seen character work this specific was at The 39 Steps. Brendan Donaldson is haunting as the character of "He" and Jocelyn Kuritsky and Jessica Pohly as the two heroines of the story give incredibly intense performances. The most impressive thing though about the cast is how well they work together. It's as if each character is an element and we're seeing a chemistry experiment on stage. Let's just say the results are explosive in more ways than one.

Tom Ridgely does a great job directing this group and makes some very interesting choices. Under his watchful eye, the piece becomes so visual that I have been describing it to those who ask me about it as a Tim Burton movie on stage. Also, much like one of Mr. Burton's films, you'll be shocked by the metaphor the journey creates. At the end of the evening I truly felt artistically satiated and kudos to the Shelby Company for taking such a bold new piece and doing it so well. There are still tickets available here.

Get them today, before the "Luck" runs out.

Excelsior!

Posted at 10:30 AM in Things to check out | Permalink

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