What better night to see this twisting, Hitchcockesque thriller, than a stormy, thundering LA evening. The rain drummed, the thunder rolled, and the universe aligned.
Jule Selbo has taken the simple story of an impressionable student and a magnetic and intriguing Professor to new heights in the world premier of the play ‘Boxes’. Directed by the accomplished Mary Lou Belli, I had the pleasure of seeing another play she directed earlier this season, ‘Boxes’ is bold and cinematic in its depiction of these sad and complicated lives.
Signourney, played by the stunning and truly gifted Caitlin Gallogly, is a graduate student living on air and ambition and offered the perfect part time job by an influential and impressive professor of phycology, played brilliantly by Eddie Alfano.
What seems like the perfect situation quickly turns into a cat and mouse game of will she won’t she, with Sigourney’s sweet and indecisive boyfriend Marv, played absolutely superbly by Greg Nussen, sensing impending disaster, unsuccessfully attempts to steer Sigourney away from what he most fears, loosing the one he loves to this upside down reality.
This play turned out to be far more revealing about the human condition than I had expected.
It’s cleverly written characters are much more than they at first appear, and the story keeps the audience guessing right until the end.
To say much more would truly spoil the play for anyone planning to see it, and I do honestly highly recommend that you do. But I will say one thing, ‘Boxes’ is far from the story that you imagine it will be when first the play unfolds. Just as our lives are fraught with bad choices and worse outcomes, this play seeks to imagine what strength we can draw from our humiliations, and what satisfaction can be gleaned from a cool calm resolution to a dirty, vicious, thoughtless act.
A nod to the chilling direction, really wonderfully done by Mary Lou Belli, and also to Ashlee LaPine who plays the terrible Dr Banford and to Oliver Singer as Cliff, a joyful and swaggering friend to Marv and Sigourney.
You can always count on excellence from Theatre West, but it’s commitment to bringing new plays to the LA stage is perfectly rewarded by Jule Selbo’s thrillingly drawn drama ‘Boxes’.
Prepare to be unnerved…
‘Boxes’ plays form May 14th to May 31st, Thursday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Boulevard West, Hollywood, CA 90068
Tickets are $25 on the door
www.theatrewest.org (323) 851-7977
Cast
Dr Robert Eden - Eddie Alfano
Signourney - Caitlin Gallogly
Dr Kelly Branford - Ashlee LaPine
Marv - Greg Nussen
Cliff - Oliver Singer