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I went and saw the preview for Len Jenkin’s Dark Ride last night at The Liminis and it was a blast. The final mantra of the play “I’m not interested in philosophy. Just tell me how it ends,” is fitting considering so many of the characters have a philosophy to espouse, which each offers freely.

The list of characters is considerable and fittingly odd for the B-movie that the play emulates. Very like The Mummy, or The Wolfman, as strange and eclectic a collection of characters as you’re likely to see tramps across the stage: a jeweler, a thief, a general, an explorer/scientist, a writer and publisher of sublime publications, a translator, a former carnival owner turned line chef and his wife—and each of them is questing for something: love, sanity, a jewel, a way out.

I have become fascinated by Jenkin recently and have read Limbo Tales, Dark Ride, and My Uncle Sam. These are considered a trilogy of plays that Jenkin views a leading to a positive view of life (originating in the rather darkly humorous Limbo Tales). Jenkin explores theatrical space and how characters behave on stage in very innovative ways. For instance, this exchange:

THIEF:
I’m still reading the menu to see if I made a mistake…and this guy comes out of the kitchen wearing this white apron, and he slides into the seat across from me.

ED:
Hello, Slick.

THIEF:
He says.

ED:
Got a cigarette?

THIEF:
I give him one and he says

ED:
Thanks. You new here?

THIEF:
Then I just look at him, and he looks at me, and then he goes away.

And all of this reading like a Dashiell Hammett novel or something. But genres change fast in this play: alternating from detective fiction, to horror, to cheap romance in the wink of an eye–all done up in B-movie grandeur.

Jenkin’s play is perfect for convergence and they do it very well. Director Geoff Hoffman keeps the pace fast and tight, and I was very surprised about the difference between the reading time of this play and its run time. A large part of this has to do with the good performances, but most of it has to do with Hoffman’s pacing and sense of stage balance. Interpretations of Jenkin’s vague stage directions are taken full advantage of and Hoffman maximizes both energy and the dark comedic undertones of this play to create a mind-boggling spectacle. Interventions by ambient sound, use of video, off-stage interjections, volatile stage entrances and exits, and fantastic (periodic) stage tableaux make this a run worth seeing over and over, which I intend to do.

Jarod was out, so the wonderful reports and their “normal” formatting is missing. There were many actors who were out due to prior commitments so three actors showed and did scene work. Initially, Keppler showed before all others and ran monologues with Zoldessy.

This is one of the critical times as Keppler is just at the point where she is getting off-book, which is theater parlance for “she’s memorized it and is not using the script anymore.” This moment is when actors really start to take ownership of the character and the words, more expressive possibilities emerge, and both the actor and the director start finding nuances in the words/script that can be used. There are also shifts within the text between ideas (“beats” in theater and playwright parlance) that require changes in momentum, shifts in energy levels, allow for different directions in blocking and movement, and so on. So, the long and short of it is that Zoldessy and Keppler worked for a good hour on the opening monologue.

I listened and watched, and then puttered around playing with the video mixer which I thought would have the capacity to send two different channels to two different outputs (tvs). It did not. The Edirol V-4 that we’re using only sends one signal to all outputs; you can select different signals, but then that is the only signal being pushed out. This has implications for whether or not we can show two different images on the tvs at the same time. We can do that, but it now is going to be more involved.

After discovering that, I began clearing the cameras and tripods and wires and tvs out of the space, as Parson’s Fire Dance is going to be rehearsing in the same space we’ve been using. This adds time to our setup and prep and tear down, but must be done.

The rest of the time I sat and enjoyed watching Regnier and Metrisin and Keppler having it out as Father, Mother, and Daughter. Regnier’s outbursts are quite convincing and intimidating. Michael is quite a fine actor, and I’ve seen him in numerous concon productions including as Dodge in Buried Child and the Oculist in Jenkin’s Dark Ride.