News-Letter

When Rancher decides to fire Lachewitz for not doing enough to spin a certain scandal, the latter tries to double cross the politician by recording Rancher's insult against retarded people like Arnie. As Lachewitz persists with his irritating rambling, Rancher briskly walks to the tape recorder and destroys the cassette with a loud cowboy stomp. It was at this point that the show became somewhat enjoyable.

The final play of the evening, On the Fall of the Sandwich Board and the Rise of Intangible Cities, has a title that might suggest that, like most of the other plays of the showcase, it was a lost cause. Indeed, as an allegory, it almost became lost in its attempt at becoming high art.

Surprisingly, however, the final play was the best of all four. Written and directed by Levitz and starring Bob (senior Mike Wills), Harriet (junior Emily Daly), Son (junior David Santare), and Girlfriend (freshman Emily Sucher), it carried on crisply with a clear point in mind and excellent execution that evoked a fulfilling emotional response without being too artsy or obscure.

The well-portrayed Bob and Harriet enter as a confused couple on a blind date in a restaurant. After a few minutes, they decide to get married and order a marriage from the waitress as if it were just a bottle of wine or basket of bread.

She soon returns with rope to tie the flabbergasted couple to their table. They later order a baby from the waitress, and, after she provides them with the bundled package, they return it to give it some years to grow up, as if it were just a piece of chicken that needed to be cooked a few more minutes.

Bob and Harriet fail to remember the name of their offspring, however, and he is simply called Son. In Santare's convincing performance as an emo teen, Son reflects on his somewhat meaningless entry into the world and decides to leave his parents' table to dine with his suicidal girlfriend, named Girlfriend. With the next generation in the background popping pills at the other table, Bob and Harriet are at a loss of things to talk about; They finally decide to die and order death from the waitress, who brings back a rope with which the couple can hang themselves.

The play is an excellent reflection of the mechanistic progression through life to which most people submit; They fail to realize the difference between simply existing in boring linearity and sincerely living life to one's fullest potential. It was in this play that the minimalist setup that characterizes Witness - the two tables, few chairs and the plain props of rope, pills and a wine bottle - underscores the simple and universally applicable message of the play. Bob and Harriet were true everymen.

Unfortunately, the Witness Theater fall showcase failed to live to its fullest potential and tragically limped along from an upsetting beginning to a satisfying finale.

< prev Page 3 of 3

Article Tools