The Library
The Library
By Scott Z. Burns
Directed by Bridget Lindsey Morris
Starring Allie Novell and Peri Dunefsky
Breakthrough Theatre, Winter Park FL</strong>
If it wasn’t for random mass murders, the cable networks would be broke and gone in this current wave of cord-cutters and Netflix bingers. Case in point: this semi-fictitious drama explores the aftermath of a school shooting, and the fall out lands nowhere near the guilty. Caitlin (Novel) is one of the few survivors of a disillusioned orgy of death and desolation. All her friends are dead and someone, maybe her, gave away their safe house address. It’s common to have memory lapses after trauma and everyone one but her believes she told the killer “they are all hiding in the AV closet.” Well, the other survivors are equally suspect at this point, but the networks latch on to it, and along with the shot gun pellets in her bowels the world hates her mere existence. Thanks, Wolf Blitzer! While CNN is off to the next shooting (they have 3 booked today alone) the local cop (Jordan Sanders) takes his time, analyzing evidence and interviewing other survivors. Meanwhile competing Mother Dawn Sheridan (Dunefsky) is hot on the exploitation trail; her daughter may be dead but she’s the sort of religious poster child that sells books and movies and tee shirts. By Jesus’ beard Dawn ies over the grief in an hour and hot on the grieving mother lecture circuit. As the story unfolds, the other Jesus freak Ryan (Bee Jay Aubertin Clinton) has second thoughts and discovers all his good works are just filthy rags: Caitlin was right, but the damage is done and the deals are signed. And as to the other misfortunate victims? Well, we are all dead in the long run.
Surprisingly fresh and still poignant, this is director Morris’ first outing and she does an excellent job with the cramped space and her cast of a dozen. Novell seems unbalanced and almost as suicidal as the killer; that’s a violent and scary Alex Bridgeman who uses books as bullet in the killer opening scene. While Dunefsky adds more fuel to the evil Christian fire Caitlan’s parents (Tara Rewis and Antony Marando) are a convincing and dissolute couple with a failing marriage that feels all too reale. Clinton seems genuinely hurt by the end, and the most evil person here is Dawn’s Publisher (Molly Wuerz); she has no qualms about pushing a best seller written on the backs of 20 dead bodies. Lastly I’ll mention the Greek chorus of Todd Latoski and Tatiana Mendez; they are the medicos who repeatedly enter Caitlin’s bowels and try to make her whole, all while bantering about the ins and outs of of her innards spilling out.
I rolled into this show expecting “Bowling for Columbine” but what I found was an excellent character study of dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy. No lives were mended, no tears dried: this was all about doing paper work, making money, and treading on over the dead bodies of those shot before us. This is a fresh and innovative work, a great directorial debut, and another example of how great theater can be made on a shoe string in a shoe box.
For more information, please visit http://www.breakthroughtheatre.com or look them up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Breakthrough-Theatre-of-Winter-Park/
