Theatre Review - 'A Collapse'

Currently published at http://www.skuawk.com/news/640/theater-review-a-collapse

Theater Review: 'A Collapse'
Monday, November 13, 2006
By Dara Avenius – Skuawk! Contributing Writer

When you’ve lost everything, what do you have? Where do you turn to right yourself again? These are the central questions asked by Vincent Marano’s Fringe Festival Hit ‘A Collapse’. A disaster has wrecked a town, taking from the citizens their loved ones, their possessions, and their hope. Lost and confused, they turn their eyes to Mary, a sweet young girl trapped alive in a wall after this disaster.

She bears the penance of her plight with a humility that inspires the townspeople as they struggle with their own reactions to this disaster. Indeed, she is more concerned with her state of undress when the soldiers come to rescue her, than she is of her trapped state. Like her religious namesake, she becomes the beacon of hope and comfort to those who feel helpless and lost.

The townspeople await the arrival of the government, looking to them to help this poor girl, and by turn, them. However, in a catch-22, Mary, played expertly by Laura Williams, is deemed not dying, and therefore, they can’t rescue her. Oh, of course there are many reasons, rules and regulations that prohibit them from solving this otherwise simple problem, from the machines needed to rescue her being buried themselves, to fears of lawsuits. The government of course would rather not look bad. The government officials come, ready with news-worthy sound bites and other excuses as to why they’re not to blame for their lack of immediacy to help.

In a play infused with irony, perhaps the greatest irony is that the latest run of this show, takes place from November 8th to the 18th, directly after the elections that seek to overturn a government noted for its gross mishandling of the Katrina hurricane, and Iraq. Although it is based on a true story taking place after an earthquake in 1976, this story couldn’t arrive at a better time.

Taking a harsh view of the fallout of a tragedy, ‘A Collapse’ skillfully points out the way each group arrives in its wake, seemingly desiring to be helpful, and instead utilizes the pain of this simple girl to satisfy their own needs. Everyone needs Mary in some way to help them, but no one is there to offer her the help that she needs. It leaves out no one out from its jaundiced sights; including Mary’s mother. Her mother, as heartbreakingly played by Kathleen O'Neill, narrates the story. Indeed, as Mary becomes iconic, she loses the humanity that allowed others to relate to her and feel for her.

‘A Collapse’ is rather serious in tone, despite many otherwise humorous lines throughout. Unfortunately, these tend not to cause laughter but instead reflect back on the macabre story at hand. While this serves the story well, it does not make for a light viewing experience. However, it does make for an enlightening, and enjoyable experience: in short a Fringe theatrical hit.