Friday Fish Fry: Davis High's "Trap" is a chill-a-minute performance for the ages
Plus, is a solution at hand for Davis High's football woes?
CAREFUL, IT MAY BE A TRAP ... Although I was never interested in acting during my illustrious days at Davis High School, I was always interested in at least attending our school plays to see how my friends and colleagues put everything together on stage.
And if I caught them flubbing a line, wow, they'd be hearing about it in the school cafeteria on Monday.
Fortunately, my interest has never waned and I've been able to attend a number of Davis High performances over the years, many of them enhanced more recently with the opening of the stunning Richard Brunelle Performance Hall.
I was so taken with the DHS presentation of Mamma Mia! several years ago that I saw it twice and was even willing to include in my review the exclamation point in the title. If any musical ever deserved an exclamation point - which I despise - it was Mamma Mia! performed at Davis High.
The latest offering from the Davis High Theater Department, taking place Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m., is not a raucous, toe-tapping musical, but a seriously thrilling - and sometimes chilling - drama.
"Trap," written by Stephen Gregg and directed by Chad Fisk, runs for only 85 minutes, but has no intermission to allow you to catch your breath or gather your wits or discuss what the hell is happening on stage with your fellow theatergoers.
The printed program, available for free at the door, states boldly on its front page "Warning: This play contains dark themes not suitable for all ages."
I'm not sure what age they're talking about, but I will tell you I'm going to check with my cardiologist, Dr. Hart, before I attend it again.
The play is set in Menachap, a fictional town in the not-so-fictional foothills of Amador County, but fictional or not, one reviewer who saw it elsewhere wrote, "Unnerving, exhilarating and wildly inventive, you've never walked into anything quite like Trap."
I did a little exit polling after the opening performance last weekend and came away with the stark realization that everyone who witnessed this play has an entirely different take on what was happening right before their very eyes. Not to mention the occasional loud noises assaulting their ears.
Said Mary Jones, who asked to remain anonymous because she was supposed to be at work that evening, "It builds to a great climax. You honestly don't know what's really happening, but it builds to an incredibly dramatic and suspenseful ending."
Mary looked as if she was surprised that she had lived to tell the tale.
Another witness said it was "A suspenseful mindbender" that gave her chills.
"I can honestly say I have never seen a play like this and am proud of Davis High Theater for taking in on," she added.
"The performances by young actors were unbelievable. It's a brilliant cast with many of them playing more than one role. If you pay attention, it will keep you on the edge of your seat."