There was a lot going on Friday when the new Edmonds Repertory Theatre debuted its premiere production of the two-act play “A Warp-ed Door,” at its new theater in the round at Artworks.
Even with all that, the evening went off without a hitch. The result was an engaging show that had some highlights, a low point or two, and a plot twist that brought a collective “ah-ha” from the audience.
Too bad many people won’t get the chance to see this good first effort. Edmonds Repertory Theatre had to close before the show’s full run because the building where the show was being performed was not properly rated for theater performances. This review is for those who missed “A Warp-ed Door,” though the Edmonds Rep staff vows they’ll return at a different venue next year.
“A Warp-ed” door was written by Jeff Stilwell, playing the triple role of playwright, managing director and one of the founders of Edmonds Repertory Theatre. The mission of Edmonds Rep is to introduce audiences to short works by new playwrights who may have trouble finding a venue for their work. As part of the mission, the members of Edmonds Rep judge the quality of the production by using a sliding-scale system with five being excellent down to one which translates to “What were you thinking?” The goal is to emphasize improvement.
For its first night, Edmonds Rep gets a five for its theater in the round. Though Artworks is in what appeared to be a converted garage, the place didn’t feel empty or cold, warmed by the many paintings and other works of art on the walls and the fine use of lighting and sound (done by JacLyn Stafford). All in all, the experience was intimate and cozy.
Another five goes to Stilwell, who managed to spare the time off from being a businessman, and to have the stomach and stamina to write a new work that kept us interested, amused and surprised.
“A Warp-ed Door” puts the spotlight on Mallory, who is a starving artist trying to write the Great American novel. She makes little progress when the janitor of the apartment building she lives in removes her warped door for repairs. At that point, Mallory’s lives and the lives of the other tenants become open books through which some secrets are revealed and certain paths are altered. Beyond that, it’s also a story of disenfranchised privileged youth, a search for what’s important in life and mistaken identities.
Actress Kirsten McCory gets a four for her performance as Mallory, who has to carry a great deal of the show’s dialogue and a number of the story’s themes all on her nimble shoulders. McCory succeeds, giving us a Mallory that was smart, quick and earnest. McCory also had the confidence to pull off Mallory’s characteristic “writer’s thing” of spitting into empty Altoids boxes; the result was gross and effective. In the end though, when Mallory’s story began to unravel, McCory needed to be a bit more vulnerable to bring that needed reality to her role.
Antoine the janitor was almost a cliché: a somewhat distracted Italian who spouts out opera while delivering homespun advice. Antoine was played straight and rather subtly by Raymond Jones, whereas the role needed a bit more flare, more zaniness. Antoine was so subtle, in fact, that at times it was hard to hear what were probably some of the most moving lines in the story. Jones gets a three with a footnote that his voice, when singing opera, was quite lovely.
Other strong cast supporters were Lars Enden, who played the political activist “T,” and Janice Hastings, who played Edith, the widow and matriarch of the apartment building. Both get a four for owning their characters.
Of the whole cast, Elizabeth Daruthayan stole the show as Jasmine, the cute, bubbly and breast-challenged tenant in love with “T.” Daruthayan gets a five for her freshness, her comic timing, her hip hop number and the fact that she faked us out in the end when she turned from ditz to Democratic marketing dynamo. She was totally rad.
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