 |
| and Cole Brackey photo by John Groseclose |
Click here for more information on this production that runs through December 9th.
"..Steve Yockey's latest piece, Mercury, makes its co-world premiere at Stray Cat in connection with Salt Lake Acting Company in Salt Lake City...While Mercury may not be as profound or as filled with deep meaning as the last Yockey play Stray Cat produced, Pluto, this dark and bloody black comedy about revenge is an incredibly entertaining and very satisfying journey....The piece is set somewhere outside of Portland and centers around two couples who end up being connected to each other through a strange curiosity shop run by the equally curious couple Alicia and Sam. Married next door neighbors Pamela and Heather have been having a secret affair behind their husbands' backs, but Heather has broken it off, which forces Pamela's powerful and angry side to surface. In another part of town, boyfriends Nick and Brian have relationship issues of their own, which their nosey neighbor Olive only escalates due to her constant and annoying meddling. And that's all you need to know about the characters and plot to make sure the many twists and turns, both comical and horrific, will both surprise and shock you before the rewarding payoff at the end. Yockey has created a simple yet intriguing scenario in which to set his story and gives all three couples faithful dialogue that infuses their quarrels and misunderstandings with truthfulness. He also skillfully blends the real with the surreal and creates several nasty characters who, while entirely mean spirited, are incredibly realistic....Ron May's refined direction and his talented cast perfectly tread the line between the comical and dramatic elements of the somewhat bizarre but completely easy to follow piece without going too far into broad comedy. ..As Pamela and Heather, Laura Anne Kenney and Samantha Hanna expertly portray a couple who are at an impasse. ...Ian White and Cole Brackney Wandelear form a realistic couple who constantly bicker and fight, and their interactions are naturally delivered. ...Michael Peck and Heather Lee Harper are both imposing and frightening but also sarcastically comical as Alicia and Sam...Shari Watts is a gem as the quirky and kooky neighbor who feels slighted by anyone who doesn't conform to her beliefs and views of the world and believes she knows a quick way to easily and resourcefully get vengeance....While Mercury may be a play that has a few things to say concerning the difference between right and wrong behavior, the consequences and repercussions for those seeking revenge, and karma indeed being a bitch, it is also a very rewarding black comedy. Stray Cat Theatre's satisfying production has an excellent cast and superb direction that let you laugh and be appalled at the same time by the actions of the manipulative and needy characters, because you will most likely realize that you know people very much like them. Hopefully, one of those people isn't you..... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
"....running at a brisk 90 minutes without intermission, Mercury, as directed by Ron May, is a blacker than black comedy that uses cynicism, gallows humor, and general audience discomfort to get its laughs. ...by portraying situations and the characters themselves with such deliberate, broad strokes, the more serious subject matters of jealousy, hate, and the willingness to kill makes light of something that is practically unpalatable....even if the subject and its extremely adult approach, setup, and outcome will not be to everyone’s liking. (Yockey's) black comedy revels in things taboo and satirizes them while retaining the seriousness, even the horror. Yes, blood will be spilled. Whether you’ll actually laugh is down to personal taste, but if you do, it will come with great discomfort, so be prepared. But that, I suspect, is exactly what Yockey wants. Mercury is right up Stray Cat’s alley." -David Appleford, Valley Screen and Stage (click here to read the complete review)
COMING SOON - Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic (click here to read the complete review)
No comments:
Post a Comment
In order to avoid spam, comments will be moderated. Anonymous comments no longer will be allowed. If your comment is from an actual person it will be approved and posted in a timely manner.