“Really Really” is really thought provoking
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – The press release described Really Really as “startlingly funny.” But if you are looking for light entertainment, you’ve definitely come to the wrong play.
Yes, there are a few laughs, however many of them are uneasy. Most of the play, Planet Ant’s season opener, is anything but funny. Director Brandy Joe Plambeck calls it an “awesome little mindf**k of a play.” I couldn’t describe it better myself. It’s a drama through and through but there are enough plot twists to add an element of suspense.
Without revealing the surprise ending or even too much of the plot, it should be stated that those with a low threshold for disturbing subject matter, particularly having to do with sexual assault, probably ought to skip this one. It’s also not suitable for children, and might be too much even for teens. There is nudity, but that’s not the reason to leave the kids/teens at home. This is heavy subject material.
If this doesn’t scare you away, the upside is that the acting across the board is exceptional. The lead female actors – Kaitlyn Bourque and Meredith Deighton – who play college roommates Grace and Leigh, are so self-confident and natural, even when they are walking around their apartment in various stages of undress, that the audience truly feels like a room full of voyeurs. The male roommates – played by Michael Lopetrone, Brenton Herwat and Andy Reid – are equally uninhibited and they nail the bro-driven dialogue. Jeffrey James Smyk, who plays Jimmy, is believable as the easily swayed and simple minded boyfriend. Supporting actress Lisa Melinn as Leigh’s delightfully inappropriate low-brow sister Haley adds some much-needed comic relief in the second half of the play.
The play, written by Paul Downs Colaizzo, follows a group of “Generation Me” Ivy-league college students in the aftermath of a campus party. It becomes increasingly difficult to decide who is the victim and who is the predator. Friendships are put to the test and ultimately ambition, desperation and fear overshadow everything else. When one character says to another, “see you in 10 years,” it’s clear that when push comes to shove, self-preservation wins.
Vince Kelley (costume design) does a nice job showing the uninhibited natures of the students. But it’s more than just eye candy. As the plot develops, remembering what choices the characters have made in their attire might offer clues. Not that wearing a burgundy thong and matching skimpy bra makes you a slut, but if the character had been wearing granny panties, she would have been perceived differently.
Scenic design (Darren Shelton) is clever, with the furniture being switched around and props added to signify the women’s or mens’ apartment. The set has to be changed back and forth numerous times and while I appreciate the attempt to differentiate the two apartments, folding the dining room table’s edges up and down to switch it from round to rectangle became a bit tedious. Interestingly, the actors, who did the scenery changes, seemed to stay in character as they changed the scenery, occasionally slamming the pieces around loudly when their characters have just come off of a heated emotional exchange. Stage manager Mandy Logsdon does a fine job orchestrating the numerous entrances and exits and scene shifts.
Bottom line, this is a play that leaves you with more questions than answers. It makes for some interesting discussions afterward and clearly, there could easily be different interpretations of “what really happened” since perception is subjective. That could not be more true than when it comes to this play.