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STAFF REPORT
While many this past Halloween weekend were dressing up as monsters on the outside, members of Fredonia’s student-run Performing Arts Company were dealing with monsters on the inside. The company performed “Lizards,” a piece of work that deals with the struggles of change and how sometimes not everyone adapts to it.
Written by Megan Mostyn Brown, the play follows the interconnected stories of six 20-somethings living in New York City.
This includes Phoebe, a recent survivor of drowning, who turns to drugs as a way to deal with her near-death experience. Her actions caused major rifts between her coworkers and friends, such as Ronnie, played by sophomore BFA musical theater major, Carly Censi, who tries to reason with the confused woman. But her husband Jesse, played by freshman BA theater arts major Noah Elman, faces the brunt of her illicit activities, as he struggles to try to accommodate his wife’s inner turmoil, often at her annoyance.
While Phoebe and Jesse’s relationship was ripping at the seams, another relationship was blossoming.
Victor, a frustrated former teacher, played by senior BA theater arts major Tanner Jubert, starts a connection with Mallory, played by sophomore BFA musical theatre major Michaela Tramuta, a wallflower who wants to change the way she looks at any cost. The chemistry between the actors was charming, providing comedic and heartwarming moments, as Victor lets Mallory know of her beauty.
Every actor handled his or her role with maturity, even while going through very brutal scenes.
When asked about portraying Phoebe, Maggie Austin, a sophomore BFA musical theatre major, she said that while the role was hard to play, she found a mindset to allow the character’s growth.
“Phoebe was a very challenging role for me because she is dealing with relationship problems as well as suffering from flashbacks of her near-drowning incident, so I had to go to a very dark place to truly embody her,” Austin said.
Austin truly captured the struggles going on within Phoebe’s mind. Some of the play’s strongest moments were whenever Phoebe was caught in the act of drug use by other characters, and great tension was felt between Austin and the other characters.
A key moment of the play is where Sebastian, played by junior theatre arts major Henry Rosenberg, retells the story of Phoebe’s drowning to her, as a sort of therapy. However, instead of providing solace to her, it creates more problems for both characters.
The decision to have the performance in the library was a clever choice, as the location helped establish the mood for the drama. Tucked away in the back of Reed Library, the experience felt separated from the current world. The large glass windows as a backdrop added great ambiance, with the Japanese Garden making for a beautiful background.
What was interesting in the beginning of the performance was the sunlight, which shone brightly through the window panes, though as the show went on, it became darker. This almost reflected how the show, over its course, dealt with heavier subjects such as self-image and insecurity.
Every scene between characters felt intimate, with every moment only consisting of two actors talking, unhinged and wholeheartedly. Characters would weave in and out of the foreground.
Very little space separated spectators from the actors, which created a connection between cast and audience. One could truly feel the frustration that existed in each character’s lives.
“Each character’s plot line was very realistic, and I think that each audience member could relate to at least one of the stories,” Austin said. “Between relationship, anxiety and self-esteem problems, the characters are all very real, and it is easy to sympathize with them since it is so relatable.”
“Many lizards change color as a response to their environment or in response to stress,” said Victor in the the very beginning of the show, which perfectly describes “Lizards.” The characters struggle to move forward, something that many wrestle with real life.