AMERIKIN

CURIOUS THEATRE COMPANY: 

MARCH 11 – APRIL 15

 

               Sean Scrutchins

Curious Theatre Company’s regional premiere of Chisa Hutchinson’s play, AMERIKIN, is what theatre should be! An honest, revelatory wake-up call!

     Examining the need for belonging, her play reminds us that in this era of racial tension and struggle for equal rights, we are all ‘kin.’

     Hutchinson’s work is not for the faint of heart. It never bows to political correctness, which, in this reviewer’s not-so-humble opinion, is the killer of all true Art. Her work is clear-eyed and honest. And it has teeth!

      Gratitude must be extended to the new administration at Curious Theatre for presenting this work! 

     Director Jada Suzanne Dixon delivers this urgent artistic message with power! She has assembled a cast of outstanding actors and technicians and allowed them to express with dynamic honesty. Her pacing of the proceedings keeps things moving at such a clip that the audience is constantly held in a state of rapt attention. 

     At the heart of this production is an outstanding performance by Sean Scrutchins as Jeff Browning, a new father who feels the need to ‘belong’ in his rural small-town community in order to provide safety and security for his family. Scrutchins’ compelling performance unleashes jolts of electricity that will resonate long after final curtain!

    Candace Joice gives a nuanced portrayal of Jeff’s wife, Michelle, a post partem new mother, in the midst of a mental/emotional breakdown. 

     Brian Landis Folkins is Poot Spangler, Jeff’s easy-going and amiable longtime buddy. You know. The kind who’ll even blur the Truth a little to stay on your good side in order to keep you out of trouble. Folkins' performance is brilliant and authentic.

    As Dylan Hoffenberger, Michael McNeill delivers a fiery performance as one of the town’s good ol’ boys, whose permission is needed in order to sign  up for the small town majority’s bigoted hate group.

     Denver favorite Karen Slack plays Jeff’s neighbor, and ex love interest,Alma Tillery, who works as a nurse at the hospital’s Emergency Room. Her scenes confronting Jeff’s wife Michelle about their newborn could be described as an only slightly controlled pressure cooker.

     Cajardo Lindsey’s Gerald LaMott is a slow-moving journalist from The Washington Post who’s professional and patient beyond words. Called in to interview Jeff, Lindsey's portrayal of calm demeanor and measured speech contrasts dramatically with Jeff’s frenetic behavior, as well as that of his own daughter.

     As LaMott’s daughter, Chris, Kristina Fountaine provides a turbo-charged motor mouth counterpoint to her father’s approach to Jeff’s crisis.   Rather than allowing the Truth to be discerned calmly and organically, she impatiently rips at the fabric of her father’s investigation creating an almost unbearable tension in the final scene.  

      Markas Henry’s beautifully rendered scenic design is, as usual, inventive and spot on. 

     There are moments in the evening when Max Silverman’s sound design and Haley Hartmann’s lighting design conspire to deliver breathtaking emotional bombshells. 

       I hope I’ve said enough to get you to buy a ticket, and not enough to spoil any aspect of the greatness of this production. 

     If you like serious dramatic theatre that’s compelling and honest, run to see this show. Just be aware that this is not fluffy entertainment designed for the faint of heart.

     Buckle your seatbelt and get ready for a raw and visceral evening of Great Theatre.

 

For tickets call 303-623-0524 or go online at curioustheatre.org