09/12/2021

That day the fire hydrants all ran dry and we began to douse still smoldering flame with our tears. A fine dust was piled like pink snow except where it met water. It there expanded into a thick, foamy muck a shade or three lighter then blood with bone pulverized and comingled. And we all went to work heavy with sorrow for those brothers and sisters who lay buried.

The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt as adapted by Maurice Valency at ECU

directed by Kimille Howard

Sardonically funny at times this production is a tragicomedy with satirc contempoary overtones which range from #MeeToo through #OnePercent. The plot is simple yet complex. It is about a time and place which has historic overtones on how a society declines into less than humane behavior. Howard’s production is set in Germany and though no time frame is specifically mentioned, the costumes, sets, and props suggest a time just before the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich. The homecoming of a powerfully wealthy prodigal daughter to her birthplace, which as a town has fallen on hard times, sets the play in motion. Claire Zachanassian (Tatiana Burrus) returns to fanfare and expectation as potential saviour. Her ex-lover, Anton Schill (Andrew Goins), is chosen to woo her generosity and investment in the broken down old place. Yet there are dark secrets to be revealed.

I took away a feeling of great sadness over The Visit. At the same time, it is filled with hilarity from comedic turns by supporting characters like Kobby (Nikki Neuberger), Lobby (Riley Yates) and Bobby (Bobby Moreno). What a wonderful performance of a play which does not always celebrate the best in us as human beings. The last time I felt like this after a theatrical performance, Taylor Mac was The Good Person of Szechuan where beauty and spectacle belied serious subject matter.

The question of justice looms large in The Visit. Vengeance, unfettered capitalism, family values, the devastating effect of generational poverty all wrapped within characters dressed in period costumes and played on an ambitious stage festooned with brilliant sets and props. Kudos Delta Childers-Smith, Reid Parker, Nolan O’Dell, and Michael Shoaf. Movement and intimacy, of which there is abundance, directed by Jill Materelli-Carlson and Emily Phoebus. Vocal coaching by Elana Kepner.

This bold production choice could not have been timelier. The play satirizes a process through which group mentality can be manipulated by way of materialism which in turn facilitates a decline of society. I applaud the smart casting by Director Howard. There is a strong voice of reason coming from a character like Professor Muller (Casey Wortham), but reason is ultimately overwhelmed by temptation. ECU students all rise to the challenges of their roles which included the wearing of masks while speaking with German accents. Yet everyone works valiantly to overcome obstacles and their characterizations, to a person, are spot-on. This theatrical experience works its magic by compressing time into a delight filled evening. Even if it is one that left me feeling sad. The following came to my mind before bed the other night with the play's end landing in my soul.

Hearbroken days for world full of hurt where a mountain of gold is worth less than dirt When tears are flowing over lives we have lost, is there anyone showing just how much we've lost?