Theatre Review: Nathaniel Kostar
Amy Tofte’s original new play is a unique exploration of the destructive nature of alcoholism, the violent nature of love, and what happens “when we know exactly what we shouldn’t do, and still we do it.” Terrifically well-written and performed by two dynamic actors, this ambitious production is worth contemplating long after you’ve left the theatre.
In this play the two actors (Sam Breen and Gabriela Trigo-McIntyre) are in love—one with the other, and the other with the bottle. The actors are also double-casted as the writer and director, and the distinction between when they are acting and when they are writing and directing is continually blurred. At one point the director of the play, who is also the male character, demands the writer “write more original lines!” and at another point he declares: “I hate this play!”
The most interesting manifestation of this experimental theatrical technique occurs when the director utters a line that wasn’t in the script. So compellingly executed, the implications of the moment are far-reaching. How much of our destiny our we really controlling? How often are we conscious and self-aware of what we’re doing? These are just a few of the themes explored in a drama that manages to be hilariously sad, violently compassionate, and believably surreal.
