[ "with their eyes" / kansas city star review ]
from last fall...
THEATER REVIEW | IMPRESSIVE PRODUCTION ZEROS IN ON SCHOOL JUST AFTER 9/11 ATTACKS
Coterie Theatre's serious, sincere 'With Their Eyes' shines
by Robert Trussell
The Kansas City Star
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
This won't be the first time I've said this, but the hippest show in town at the moment can be found at the Coterie Theatre.
"With Their Eyes," subtitled "the view of 9/11 from a high school at ground zero," is the work of an English teacher and 13 of her students who interviewed classmates, teachers and staff (everyone from administrators to janitors) at Stuyvesant High School just after 9/11. The school was only four blocks away from the World Trade Center.
The Coterie production, co-directed by Jeff Church and Nancy Marcy, features nine young actors who range from at least one seasoned professional to a high-school sophomore performing in her first play. They play multiple roles (with some of the girls stepping into male roles) and are clearly committed.
They appreciate the seriousness of its intent but successfully capture the inevitable comic moments and absurd responses that seem to always accompany disasters.
Emily Cramer's set suggests a gritty classroom as it might have appeared after the attacks. Art Kent's lighting seamlessly alters moods. And Jon Fulton Adams provides inventive costumes.
Each performer claims impressive moments, too many to be cataloged here. Highlights: Jenelle Chu is hilarious as a freshman whose main complaint about the 9/11 attacks is how inconvenient her life became; Abdelhadi Baaddi, in addition to supplying a live beat-box soundtrack, is a natural comedian who nonetheless strikes a somber note as Mohammed, an Islamic student.
Carl Dean creates a compelling, serious-minded image as a Stuyvesant sophomore; Grant Prewitt is impressive as a social studies teacher who can't quite make sense of the shower of odd corporate gifts that came their way in the weeks after the attacks; Vi Tran is moving in his understated take as a school safety guard.
Victoria Willingham is equally impressive as a dining hall worker at the school and as Alejandro, a senior with an attitude; Andrea Zauldumbride is an interesting presence as she shifts from an assistant principal to student Red Cross volunteer; and Anastasia Zorin, handling a complex monologue as a male custodian, delivers the most nuanced performance in the show.
'With Their Eyes'
When: Friday, Sept. 29 (through Oct. 22)
Where:: Coterie Theatre
Attendance: 200 (approx.)
Tickets: $8 - $14; (816) 474-6552; www.coterietheatre.org
THEATER REVIEW | IMPRESSIVE PRODUCTION ZEROS IN ON SCHOOL JUST AFTER 9/11 ATTACKS
Coterie Theatre's serious, sincere 'With Their Eyes' shines
by Robert Trussell
The Kansas City Star
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
This won't be the first time I've said this, but the hippest show in town at the moment can be found at the Coterie Theatre.
"With Their Eyes," subtitled "the view of 9/11 from a high school at ground zero," is the work of an English teacher and 13 of her students who interviewed classmates, teachers and staff (everyone from administrators to janitors) at Stuyvesant High School just after 9/11. The school was only four blocks away from the World Trade Center.
The Coterie production, co-directed by Jeff Church and Nancy Marcy, features nine young actors who range from at least one seasoned professional to a high-school sophomore performing in her first play. They play multiple roles (with some of the girls stepping into male roles) and are clearly committed.
They appreciate the seriousness of its intent but successfully capture the inevitable comic moments and absurd responses that seem to always accompany disasters.
Emily Cramer's set suggests a gritty classroom as it might have appeared after the attacks. Art Kent's lighting seamlessly alters moods. And Jon Fulton Adams provides inventive costumes.
Each performer claims impressive moments, too many to be cataloged here. Highlights: Jenelle Chu is hilarious as a freshman whose main complaint about the 9/11 attacks is how inconvenient her life became; Abdelhadi Baaddi, in addition to supplying a live beat-box soundtrack, is a natural comedian who nonetheless strikes a somber note as Mohammed, an Islamic student.
Carl Dean creates a compelling, serious-minded image as a Stuyvesant sophomore; Grant Prewitt is impressive as a social studies teacher who can't quite make sense of the shower of odd corporate gifts that came their way in the weeks after the attacks; Vi Tran is moving in his understated take as a school safety guard.
Victoria Willingham is equally impressive as a dining hall worker at the school and as Alejandro, a senior with an attitude; Andrea Zauldumbride is an interesting presence as she shifts from an assistant principal to student Red Cross volunteer; and Anastasia Zorin, handling a complex monologue as a male custodian, delivers the most nuanced performance in the show.
'With Their Eyes'
When: Friday, Sept. 29 (through Oct. 22)
Where:: Coterie Theatre
Attendance: 200 (approx.)
Tickets: $8 - $14; (816) 474-6552; www.coterietheatre.org