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<\/p>\nThis season, Second Thought Theatre successfully pulled off a slate of world premiere shows by local playwrights. With unconventional stories, STT finishes off its season with Parker Davis Gray\u2019s bold thriller Incarnate. Perfectly timed for the Halloween season, the marketing hinted at a more terrifying experience but delivered something different, though no less compelling. Gray and director Jenna Burnett with a cast of two created a pervasive sense of unease with a gripping narrative that held attention from beginning to end.<\/p>\n
The strength of Incarnate was its intricate character development and the unraveling of Gray\u2019s central mystery. Kristen Lazarchick and Jeffrey Schmidt star as Rosamund and Peter. Rosamund is a 24 year-old kidnapped by the perplexing but benevolent Peter. She\u2019s naturally frightened and on the defense. He\u2019s generous, polite and cooks for her. As the story unfolds, Peter\u2019s intentions become clear which makes an already distressed story more so.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rosamund is confined to a cell the majority of the play albeit with all the comforts of a homey prison. Lazarchick\u2019s tension was rampant throughout her entire body. Her body and voice were taut with anger and fear and defiance. The role allowed for some range and when Rosamund expressed concern to Peter, Lazarchick added a weapon of softness to her character\u2019s arsenal but her explosive moments deeply conveyed the character\u2019s suffering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Peter, Schmidt had to straddle the line of creepy kidnapper and proper gentleman. Schmidt leaned more into Peter\u2019s heartfelt disposition filled with compassion and bereavement. I mean, if one must be kidnapped, Peter would be the ideal captor, offering three homemade meals daily, an en-suite bathroom in the cell, and a new bed. Schmidt\u2019s natural warmth played well for his character, but he also tapped into a dispirited man with one obsessive goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Each actor\u2019s ability to convey complex emotions and internal struggles made the characters genuine, even at the play\u2019s most fantastical moments<\/p>\n
Visually, the production immediately displayed impressive design by Leah Mazur. A full-on jail cell took up most of the stage\u2019s real estate that contained a bed, a working sink and bookshelves. The set was encased in all dark tones that added to the ominous nature of the story and the cell that loomed so large.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lighting and sound design were particularly effective in the perpetual building tension. Claudia Jenkins Martinez\u2019s sound created an air of gloom even through the use of distorted classic pop rock music. Added with Aaron Johansen\u2019s clever lighting that would gradually reveal more to the eye, Incarnate succeeded on serving up portentous vibes that mixed in supernatural special effects. Danielle Georgiou was credited as the show\u2019s Spooky Designer, which I didn\u2019t know what that meant, but she clearly fulfilled her duties as the entire show thrived on creepy, scary vibes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That being said, Incarnate, though, wasn\u2019t as scary as it seems to want to be. Gray\u2019s themes here were certainly dark with its grim situation but any scary elements felt more psychological than visceral. While the narration of Rosamund\u2019s year-long captivity \u2013 depicted through both story and set design \u2013 conveyed the passage of time, the repetitious nature of some segments felt unnecessary. This redundancy lost some of the narrative\u2019s streamlining and impact at last Monday night\u2019s performance as well as extended the program\u2019s proposed runtime of \u201capproximately 1.5 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Incarnate may have been horror-presenting, this was more a psychological thriller. This is hardly a flaw. Its reliance on suspense and character tension culminated in a provocative and meticulously crafted piece of theater.<\/p>\n
The show runs through Nov. 1.<\/p>\n
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\u2013Rich Lopez<\/p>\n
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