review - RADIO FREE EUROPA - Space 55

Radio Free Europa - Delilah Peel
Illustration by David Matteson

by Gil Benbrook

Since the March 15th stay at home mandate went into effect in Arizona, theatres in the Valley, just like those across the world, have been dark. While that order has now expired and some businesses have reopened, it's still virtually impossible to present live theatre productions since social distancing guidelines would limit seating capacities which in turn would impact the financial viability of putting on a show.

Based on the current state of live theatre, Radio Free Europa, which was originally slated to be the final show in Space 55's 2019/2020 season, has been adapted by its author Ashley Naftule from a traditional play into a virtual theatrical experience reminiscent of a live radio broadcast. Space 55 is presenting live presentations of the play on their YouTube channel on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons through June 7th. I believe this is the first live theatrical performance in the Valley since everything shut down that isn't just a one time concert or reading. 

Since the drama focuses on the late night host of a radio show and the calls she receives from her listeners, the format works perfectly for a live virtual theatrical production. The combination of Naftule's interesting set of characters, who are vividly depicted from the vocal performances and clear acting abilities of the talented cast under Dennis Frederick's sharp direction, with graphic illustrations from David Matteson, that give the feel of a live graphic novel come to life, results in an interesting and intriguing theatrical experience.

Naftule's play is presented as a series of phone calls that focus on Delilah Peel, the broadcaster on the late night show "Midnight Wildlife" on Nevada's 1777 KZOS. Delilah's mission is "To give voice to the voiceless, to call mysteries out by their names." Over the series of colorful calls she takes from her paranoid listeners, who believe in such phenomena as Bigfoot, aliens and black holes that can consume a person, and phone conversations she has with her mother Sheila, that delve into their complicated relationship, and Hank, the married man with whom she's having an affair, Delilah starts to question her own sanity when she begins to hear what she thinks are strange noises or transmissions coming from another galaxy. 

Amy Garland is excellent as Delilah. Garland creates a remarkably rich, three dimensional character, which I have to imagine is incredibly hard to do using just your voice. The compassion Garland depicts for Delilah's callers is never pandering and never looks down on the possible insanity of their beliefs. From Garland's vocal delivery, we see how Delilah has a clear interest in her caller's beliefs and experiences while also being frustrated with her mother and the uncertainty of her relationship with Hank. There is also a tenderness we hear in Garland's voice from the fond memory Delilah has of watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind with her father yet we also understand her confusion when she questions what she's doing with her life, "Talking to people about lake monsters? Asking bored housewives what it’s like fucking Selena?"

Julie Peterson and Scott Hyder are equally as good as, respectively, Sheila, who is an inmate at the women's correction center whose parole hearing is coming up, and Hank, whose relationship with Delilah is just as complicated. Through their performances we clearly understand the frustrations they both encounter in their non traditional relationships with Delilah. 

Radio Free Europa - Melodious Woodpecker
Illustration by David Matteson

The cast who portray Delilah's listeners deliver winning and believable performances as these kooky characters. Matt Clarke is quite moving as Grasshopper, a man who says he has a bottomless black hole on his body that he puts things in to see how deep it goes. He even says it breathes. In his return calls to Delilah, Clarke vividly depicts the desperation Grassphopper feels as he says the hole has begun to grow, collapsing in on itself and taking over his body. 

BJ Garrett brings a strong conviction to Sun Bear, a man who firmly believes aliens landed in his yard and presented him a dish with a stack of cold pancakes that he proceed to eat. He also claims to occasionally find pancakes left for him on his outside stoop ever since that first alien visit. Marcella Grassa is hilarious as Chinchilla, a caller who says her realtor was actually Selena, back from the dead. All I could think of was "I'm buying a house from a dead woman!" 

The rest of the cast, all of whom deliver strong performaces, include Ernesto Moncada as Muskrat, a man who claims he saw a chupacabra sucking the blood and eventually killing his dog; Willa Eigo as Fennec Fox, who states her boyfriend is a vampire who eats ferrel cats, but at least not in front of her; Mona Swan LeSueur as Anglerfish, a doctor who has had numerous lawsuits, was stripped of his medical license and who drilled a hole in his head; and Alex Tuchi as stoner Melodious Woodpecker, who ran into Sasquatch in the woods and watched as he, or maybe it's she? got fucked up on hallucinogenic maple syrup. 

Also, Cody Hunt evokes a nice touch of mysteriousness to Barn Owl, a man who believes that radio stations are broadcasting strange messages in a series of numbers; as Seahorse, Sarah Starling is convinced that she has experienced past life regression in reverse and lived on the planet Europa in one of her past, future lives, and Aleks Hollis is Lizard Canary, a caller who says they can hear black holes.

Naftule's script includes a non stop stream of vivid and descriptive dialogue that works well for a theatrical presentation of this nature. Dennis Frederick's direction is concise but never rushed which allow the audience to absorb the thoughts and feelings of each character. The illustrations by David Matteson are quite good, providing a nice added touch to the aural performances, and modeled on the actual actors who play each part.

Space 55's presentation of Radio Free Europa is fresh, fun, comical and even quite moving at times. It beautifully fills the current theatrical void in our lives and will most likely perfectly sate the appetite of any theatre lover.

CLICK HERE to access Space 55's YouTube channel where Radio Free Europa is performed live on Friday and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm, through June 7th.