Strawdog Theatre celebrates its 100th production by presenting the World Premiere of THE SWEETER OPTION.
The intrigue starts immediately as an anxious Sam Guinan-Nyhart (Tucker) dumps an unconscious Michaela Petro (Irene) on the couch. Guinan-Nyhart then positions himself barricading the door and goes to sleep. My curiosity is aroused. And my spidey sense is on full alert. Playwright John Henry Roberts instantly hooks me to his pulpy noir. And for the next tight eighty minutes, he reels me in hook, line and sinker.
Roberts dangles the clues to this $400,000 mystery in razor-sharp dialogue. Under the deft direction of Marti Lyons, the sublime ensemble force us to put the puzzle together from fragmented pieces of information. No one is speaking frankly. And it is our burden to determine who is lying the least. The incomparable Petro baits Guinan-Nyhart continually. Their relationship is the focal point to solving this conundrum. Roberts‘ story unravels within five scenes presented out of order. This choice makes it’s even more fascinating to see the shifts in Petro and Guinan-Nyhart’s personalities. At key points, we get peeks of both vulnerability and cold-calculation. And the ongoing dilemma is determining who is manipulating who.
I am being intentionally vague about Roberts story. The experience is figuring it out in the moment. Bringing dark humor into the thriller is the perfectly dimwitted Rudy Galvan (Pete) and the delightfully over-eager Sarah Price (Joy). Their appearance adds hilarious complexity to this web of deception. Even the stalwart Jamie Vann (Mac) layers in subtle comedy in his assessment of the situation.
Lyons masterfully keeps the story edgy and stylized. Her design team makes scene transitions playfully seamless. Sound Designer Heath Hays cranks up a repeating melody. And cast and crew harmoniously rotate, unfold, and erect five distinct locales by Scenic Designer Joanna Iwanicka. The transitions are part of the evolving riddle as I wonder where to now?
THE SWEETER OPTION is riveting from lights up and way past black out. If I had to sum up the experience in one word, I’d go with “Whoa!”
Running Time: Eighty minutes with no intermission
At Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway
Written by John Henry Roberts
Directed by Marti Lyons
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 4pm
Thru March 28th
Buy Tickets at www.strawdog.org
Photo by Kyle Hamman/KBH Media.
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