missing grace- Brelby's Finest Drama

    missing grace written by the valley's most valued playwright, John Perovich, opened at the Brelby studio this past weekend. As a Brelby regular, I was intrigued by their commitment to keeping the plot of this new work a mystery. When I walked into the studio opening night, my interest grew even deeper as I saw a bare stage before me, with only a refrigerator to set the scene. As the lights went down, and the powerful Mia Passerella locked eyes with her audience, I became completely sucked into the heartbreak and anguish of the intricately crafted characters that unraveled before me. 

   The story centers around Grace and Robert, a modern, middle-aged couple who are dealing with the loss of their ten-year-old son, Billy. Though Grace and Robert are desperately trying to conduct the appearance of a normal life with the support of Grace's young and beautifully intoxicating cousin Allison, Grace seems to fall deeper through the rabbit hole of her wounded mind. With a birthday cake, and a fire burning in each of their hearts, the family is left to deal with the consequences of the past, and the reality of a new beginning.

    Mia Passerella is breathtaking as Grace. The moment she walks onto the stage, her eyes tell the tale of a woman with an aching heart. The fire within them spread into her soul, connecting each moment with extreme depth, and passionate delivery. The amount of empathy she expresses for a mother with a broken heart is absolutely extraordinary. I found myself having trouble catching my breath multiple times throughout the show. Bring in her counter part Matt Clarke who plays Robert Davis, and you have the makings of a dynamite duo. The two go together like fine wine and cheese, delicately matching their broken hearts to complete one other. Clarke is a powerhouse on his own; his performance of a man crumbling under the weight of reality allows the audience to see both sides of the tarnished coin. Allison Bauer as the "middle man" (or shall I say, woman), brings an adoring complexity to the play. One of the strongest choices Perovich has made is not allowing Allison to seem like a secondary character in the chaos of Grace and Robert's predicament. He sets her up as an equal part in all the craziness, and Bauer rises up to the challenge, establishing her character as the voice of reason. As individuals, they provide the audience with ultimate tenderness. As a trio, they set fire to the melting candle.

    Perovich has written a drama that will pull at your heart strings. He has mastered the ability to bring a sense of truth to the experience of grieving, without overwhelming the audience, or playing the emotion. Perovich has always provided the Brelby studio with works that connect to one's subconscious. I have no doubt that missing grace in particular will make its way into theatres around the valley. As always, director Brian Maticic lives up to his reputation of digging deep into the text, and finding shining layers of gold. It is obvious in the work itself how collaborative this piece was with the entire creative team, and to witness it's magic on a bare stage was truly a pleasure to see.

    missing grace recognizes the missing pieces in all of us. It inspires new beginnings; it forces us to face the demons we try to hide in our closets. Most importantly, it provides comfort to those in suffering, and sparks hope for a better tomorrow. missing grace has its final showings this weekend. Tickets can be bought both online brelby.com, and in person. Feel free to call 623-282-2781 for more information.


Showings:
Thursday @ 7:30
Friday @ 7:30
Saturday @ 2pm



     

Windfall: Brelby Theatre Company

Brelby Theatre Company just kicked off their eight season with an original dark comedy, Windfall written by the ever talented, Brian Maticic. Being a Brelby artist, it was unusual for me to attend one of their opening nights completely clueless as to what I was about to see. Low and behold, what they revealed was some of the most intoxicating pieces of theatre I have seen in awhile.

The play follows three best friends; Owen, Trent, and Olivia, who is also Trent's girlfriend. Trent, an endearing slacker, has depended on Owen's responsible nature all of his life. However, their friendship is tested when Trent finds himself in an awful financial frenzy. As reality starts to wake Trent up from his long, overdue slumber, Trent fakes his own death to escape the eye of his storm. This situation becomes even more complicated when it is found out that Trent has won the lottery. With multiple twists and turns, you follow this trio of friends as they try to protect their lives together through the hell storm Trent has caused.

First of all, Devon Mahon is exceptional as Trent, approaching each moment with effortless sincerity and humor. He has made Trent into a character that even though may infuriate you, you can't help but adore his presence when he appears onstage. David Magadan captures Owen's heart. Seeing Magadan in multiple productions at Brelby, it was beautiful to see him bring life to a character who is so delicately loving. The lovely Shelby Maticic has you in the palm of her hand throughout the entire show, making Olivia the beautiful and selfless "girl next door", who will steal any man's heart the moment she smiles at them. It was obvious to see that Olivia is the rock for both of these boys, and Maticic delivers each line with radiant ease, and positivity.

However, no story is complete without a tight bunch of strong supporting characters. Megan O'Conner gives a heartbreaking performance as Trent's mother, Theresa, pouring every ounce of her soul into each scene she graces her presence in. Seeing O'Conner dive into her dramatic acting chops was refreshing. I could see multiple women wiping tears from their face during her many emotional monologues. On the other side of the "mama" coin, Chelsea Jauregui is a hoot as Owen's mother, finding a perfect balance between caring mother, and girl's crazy best friend. Also a difficult role, Jauregui handles her character with energy and fun, lighting up some of the more darker moments with her hilarious comedic timing. Wearing multiple different hats (or shall I say wigs?), Mat Vansen gives multiple distinct performances as Randy, and other walk-ins. Every play needs "the character guy" to enter, and steal the scene, and Vansen does just that with dedication, and effortless flare. 

Brian Maticic has written a rich, thought provoking piece with dialogue that seems to just roll of an actors tongue. It is not hard to feel entranced into the world he has created with his ability to pull our heart strings one minute, and make us cry from laughter the next. I have no doubt this play will be produced again, hopefully even published for all the world to read. Of course, no show can be put together without a fearless leader, and Fernando Perez, the director, has done some remarkable work. He has managed to believably create a slice of real life in a world of absurdity. I hope that he will continue to pursue his talent in future projects.

All and all, Windfall is theatrical roller coaster. It takes you through hoops; it raises questions; it pushes boundaries. Good dark comedies are hard to come by, and this one is definitely a memorable piece of theatre. 

Windfall continues this weekend, and closes next Saturday, the 13th. Hop onto brelby.com, or call (623) 282-2781 to secure tickets before they are all gone!