A breeze off the water, the constant nautical call of a ship’s horn, an enthusiastic barking of a dog, and a familiar melody on a fuzzy radio mingle together to greet the audience of The Lyric Stage Company’s production of Groundswell and envelop us in a very specific time and place.  This New England Premiere doesn’t hold back in weighty subject matter and impassioned performances, making it an absolute winner in my book (especially when compared with Lyric’s previously dull offering of Dead Man’s Cell Phone).

Groundswell, a tension packed 90 minutes conceived by Ian Bruce, centers around a hotel dining room in a South African port town.  Three men, Thami, the hotel’s gardener and caretaker, Johan, the hotel’s odd-job man, and Smith, a traveling business man, find themselves locked in a volatile discussion over the rights and duties of African citizens in the face of apartheid.  More than just philosophical banter and political ideology, Bruce masterfully crafts a story of sophisticated layers, intentioned by the desires and history woven into each character.  The play’s explosive climax leaves the audience breathless in a wave of emotion.

A word about the diamond business.  This play gives the audience a look into a trade that very few of us have more than a vague awareness of.  Terminology and syntax could have completely gotten in the way of the storytelling- but it didn’t.  Bruce has put together a slice of history packed with human tragedy and very serious social implications, and packaged it in an entirely tangible way.  The direction of Daniel Gidron helped to guide the actors in exceptional comprehension for the audience.

While it is initially difficult to grasp all that is being said in the opening scene, Jason Bowen’s portrayal of the passionate, thoughtful, Thami soon melts into our consciousness in a way that makes it hard to believe we don’t hear South-African accents on a daily basis.  He completely embodies his character; physically underwhelming, perfectly innocent- it makes his unraveling even more unexpected.

Timothy John Smith packs quite a wallop as Johan, repair-man-ex-cop extraordinaire.  Coupled with Bruce’s excellent script and Smith’s perfect timing, the character of Johan is more than just imposing, he taps into our most basic fear of seeing someone just teetering on the edge of sanity.   Smith and Bowen’s argument toward the end of the play is one of the best I have seen on the stage (or in reality).  I actually believed I was watching the real disintegration of a very important relationship.

Richard McElvain plays Smith, a businessman who is also no stranger to a good verbal row.  McElvain is perfect.  Lost in the somewhat dumpy and frumpy exterior of a middle-aged man, the audience is completely caught off-guard by his passion and bravery, and McElvain plays it up- every movement, every word is carefully weighted and measured for the best impact.

I am really looking forward to seeing what else Ian Bruce has in store for audiences- I would certainly consider him a note-worthy up and coming playwright.  The Lyric Stage Company provides a solid production, and as I have come to expect from them, classy customer service, and excellent on-site attention.  I’ll be back for their February offering, Legacy of Light.

Smith and McElvain tussle.

It’s a time-honored tradition for the All American Male.  Grab a few buddies, a trusty canine, a few beers, a bag of beef jerky, and head out into the woods for a guys only retreat.  Craig Wright’s Lady is a peek into one such excursion- where childhood friends Kenny, Dyson and Graham, along with Kenny’s dog, Lady, head out into the Illinois forest to bond- only one of them doesn’t make it out alive.

This surprising One Act play takes the audience on a trip that has a lot at stake, and hopes we will hang on for the ride- I did.  The dense, cerebral, material (more than half of the show is a heated political argument) was well matched with a touch of comedy and a dash of good, old-fashioned, fight choreography.

What starts off as the frame-work for a manly good time quickly takes a turn to the dark side when we see how much baggage the characters have brought with them, far more than could fit in their little backpacks.  Kenny’s wife is dying and his method of coping is stealing her medical marijuana for his own use, Dyson’s son is about to enlist, and Dyson blames buddy Graham for his son’s sudden patriotic fervor.  Graham is a local politician, one who is slowly blurring party lines in the wake of September 11^th.  Though Kenny and Dyson were key players on Graham’s original campaign, they suddenly stop seeing eye-to-eye when Graham goes on record as supporting George W. Bush in his war, a man that Dyson calls “the stupidest man on the planet”.  Tempers flare as the scene plays out into the night.

The Zeitgeist Stage Company put together a great cast to take this trip into the woods with.  Michael Steven Costello as Kenny was goofy and lighthearted.  He gave Kenny a wonderful innocence and loyalty, almost as if he were playing the dog character himself.  When his dog is mistakenly shot in the second act (sorry to let the cat-out-of-the-bag, so to speak) I had tears not just in my eyes, but full out streaming down my cheeks.  Call me an animal lover, but his reaction was real; his emotion was palpable.  In my opinion he had the hardest character of all, having the inability to hide behind fighting and anger to touch the audience.  He was very good.  Craig Houk was an absolute powerhouse as Dyson.  Full of anger, tension, and entitlement, he shot through every scene and every intention with clarity and machismo.  He was the epitome of “butch”.  Brett Marks joined the players in the second scene as Graham and I found him to be the perfect balance between Houk and Costello.  He was regal, powerful and gentle, delivering his lines boldly but with perfect justification. He seems to be a bit younger than the other two actors but you couldn’t tell at all.  He certainly rose to the occasion.   Houk and Marks deliver a breath-taking fight scene, literally, I was holding my breath the whole time the two men wrestled on the ground in front of me.  There is no question that fight choreography by Meron Langsner completed the reality of this “world” for me- and it was exceptionally executed.  The intimate play space was lit charmingly by Jeffery Weed and the set was woodsy and inviting.  I loved the touch of realism added when Kenny starts digging a whole and doesn’t have to pantomime it.  David Miller’s design was thorough and I appreciated it.

Lady was my first opportunity to review a Zeitgeist production, and I am a fan.  The whole group was professional and friendly, and though they are a fringe company, offered nothing but a completely professional experience, from design to correspondence.  I look forward to having the opportunity to view their upcoming season, Private Fears in Public Spaces by Alan Ayckbourn (Tony Award winning writer from 2009!) is next on the docket.

Dyson confronts Graham.