10th Play - Apparition by Anne Washburn
Garrett Neergaard and T. Ryder Smith in the Off-Broadway production in 2005.
When I don’t pick a play by title, I usually pick it because I like or have heard of the playwright. I thought Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play was very interesting and creative, so I wanted to read more. I found this one and dove in. Alas, while there are some interesting scenes and characters in this play, there’s no plot or throughline. Reading it was kind of torturous, frankly, and I’m not sure I was able to pay as much attention as I should have. Interestingly, the reviews are totally mixed on this show, for the same production, even. Some people loved it, and some people were so turned off they weren’t even subtle about how much they hated it. This intrigued me, and actually made me a little more interested in the play.
Summary: “Did you ever have the feeling that there is something right behind you? There’s a chill on your neck… A floor creaks in the next room… Something catches your eye. Combining whispers of dread, slivers of Macbeth, dining demons, and murder that may or may not have happened, Apparition is about the feeling that something is coming to get you…and there is NOWHERE TO HIDE.” Theatremania Website
Laura’s thoughts in brief: The review from the NY Times was titled, “So Refreshingly Spine-Tingling.” He loved it. Another review (Talkin’ Broadway) starts with, “It's a rare, unexpected experience when the most scintillating work in a show is that done by its lighting designer.” Ouch, he didn’t love it. This same review goes on to call the show a “fitful, frustrating production” and goes on to note, “But it all never adds up to anything.” Another reviewer (Georgia Straight - which by the way is Vancouver’s primary source for cultural and entertainment coverage, not a Southern homophobic paper, as I wondered from the name) of a different production states: “The play is largely descriptive, and great chunks of the writing are boring.” I’m afraid the last two comments summed up my experience of reading the play.
However, as a creative theatre-maker, I think this show would be a lot of fun to put together. It’s an ensemble piece with a very specific Atmosphere - Creepy Horror. “What Washburn has scripted is something of a theatrical horror anthology, a Twilight Zone-type stage show as might appear at a macabre television theme park.” I’m quoting the reviewer because in reading this sentence, I felt like I understood the play better. Truly, I’m always going to favor a play with a plot more, but finding the throughline for what reads like a very disjointed play could be a very interesting exploration for a director and cast. For the audience? Maybe. Apparently, some people thought the Off-Broadway production was quite successful…
I noted earlier that Women Playing Hamlet could be a good companion piece to a company producing Hamlet. Could this be a fun piece for a production of Macbeth? (I am not in a theatre, I do not have to call it the Scottish play, although that was definitely my first impulse!) This play is creepy, bloody (Redtwist LOVES blood onstage!), why not? You know, as I ponder this more, I think this could be a great site-specific play. The original production used a lot of darkness to help heighten the terror of the piece - how cool might this be in an old house, as the audience wanders through? Something to think about. I might cut the scene with the fake Latin, though. I mean real Latin is boring enough …
READ MORE! Here’s what some of the critics had to say about productions:
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/07/theater/reviews/so-refreshingly-spinetingling.html
https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/ob/12_03_05.html
https://variety.com/2005/legit/reviews/apparition-2-1200519887/
https://brooklynrail.org/2005/12/theater/review-out-of-the-darkness/