A Bright New Boise

Matters of faith and economics intersect in the Gem State in Samuel D. Hunter's A Bright New Boise, a dark comedy where everyone's hunkered down in some sort of survival mode. Woolly Mammoth's season opener (to 11/6) bears bold signage for the road hazards that lie ahead in 2011-12; the first up for consideration: extreme religion.

What is it about "The Rapture" that so captivates the disaffected, especially the youth? The Left Behind novels - 16 and counting - are just part of a doomsday growth industry, unfolding on film, television, and video games. Is it the exclusivity, a belief system made manifest in literature, some sort of retribution realized, or just another version of escape, like genre (romance, horror) fiction? Or is it a marketing pitch for the ultimate consumer product? Certainly there are fertile grounds for it by the time an outsider arrives in Boise, where everyone's buying or selling something.

The action plays out in a nondescript break room of a chain craft store known as the Hobby Lobby, where out-of-town Will (played gingerly by Michael Russotto) has come to interview for a job with the manager Pauline (Emily Townley as a Northwest nice taskmaster). In short order we find out that he hopes to reconnect with his son Alex (a streetwise Joshua Morgan) - given up for adoption. But there's a higher purpose to his mission: He's a vanguard for change, big time. Two symbols of the big box corporate world worker - rebellion and submission - are contained in the characters of Leroy (played with delightful confrontation by Felipe Cabezas) and Anna (a barely recognizable Kimberly Gilbert). But others come droning off of a TV informational - The Hobby Lobby Guys (Michael Willis & Michael Glenn).

Under John Vreeke's considerate direction, the oddball characters and storyline are allowed to emerge with clarity. Not since George Walker's East End Plays or maybe the novels of Don DeLillo have I seen the long base of the society's food pyramid explored so thoughtfully and with such humor. It is the intention of Mr. Hunter to climb into the minds of his characters, particularly the inarticulate or disaffected. Think of it as the Dilbert cast of characters meeting the Mysterious Stranger.

The amorphous structure leads to some odd moments in the play's tone and development. While Will is either deadly serious or engaged in subtle finagling, the rest of cast are embarked on some humorous course of self-definition - corporate advancement (Pauline), performance art (Alex, Leroy), and active reading (Anna) - which seems incapable of resolution. Everyone gets an emotionally charged revelation speech, but Will actually gets several of them and they don't sound funny or ironic. When the mask finally drops at the end, you may just wonder who that man was: an average guy or a false prophet, a flawed individual or someone more sinister, a caring parent or a dupe.

The oscillating tenor works best in the exploratory scenes. Pauline and Will dance in a verbal pas de deux during the job interview while Leroy, who is Alex's adoptive brother, and the newcomer engage in a verbal joust. Each knows something about the other, but is it enough to make a judgment? And Alex's interrogation of his putative father with his particular linguistic bent is fresh and funny. Ditto for Anna's interactions with Will, Mr. Hunter's tidy and inventive dialogue capturing the nuance of today's youth. It seems less consistent when Will comes clean (or tries to); a blandness bordering on cliché creeps in.

Still, the excess humor, not to mention the provocative nature of the themes, as well as some unusually fine characterizations by Emily Townley and Kimberly Gilbert, will stay with you. Both actresses showed the added range of their craft. Ms. Townley dialed back some of her signature energy to portray her character with warmth and moxie. The amazing Ms. Gilbert shaved off countless IQ points, altering her body stance and vocal delivery, to inhabit a character that was completely sympathetic and real.

Misha Kachman's imaginative and sprawling set is a work of contrasts - the institutional interior matched against the world outside, with the towering light poles and an expansive night sky, all on a gunmetal gray palette, on which the lighting of Colin K. Bills and projection of Aaron Fisher work their magic. Intrusive highway sounds, along with doomsday scenarios are effectively conveyed by Chris Baine who also composed some original music. Ivania Stack's costumes lend verisimilitude to the play's setting.

The omnipresent television also broadcasts some graphic imagery of ear and eye surgery on an alternate channel, which serves as an apt metaphor for the play. You may be shocked at what you hear and see in Boise, but like it or not, it's taking place somewhere out there. And just as one of the characters can't tear her gaze away from what's unfolding, neither will you.

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Sound check: Moderate to high sound levels at the beginning and end, during some scene transitions, and with occasional character outbursts.

Program notes: Lively hardcopy includes an intro from the artistic director, informative playwright interview and end-time predictions. Additional goodies can be found online.

Applause meter: 4 hands (out of 5). Originality of script and some fine acting and direction outshine some weaknesses in plot development and ending. A high Recommend.

Line in the play: Anna [to Will] "Does anyone die in your book?"

Moment in the play: Conflict resolution with Pauline - Leroy and Will included!

Stars of the play: 1) Playwright Samuel D. Hunter, 2) Director John Vreeke, and 3) Emily Townley and Kimberly Gilbert (tied).

Audience reaction: Politely appreciative. The matinee performance, which I attended, is always tough to gauge though they might have been nonplussed by the ending.

Audience advisory: Profanity galore.

Runtime: About 2 hours with intermission.

Photo credit: Stan Barouh