Brilliant Traces does have its humorous moments, even comical ones. When they are first getting acquainted, Henry helpfully butters a slice of bread for Rosannah but ends up abjectly apologizing for doing so, lest it imply that she’s less than fully competent. (OK, you had to be there.)
The production could have used a director, instead of the two actors negotiating the proceedings themselves. I didn’t buy Hodge’s unmodulated nervousness at the outset, though it later seemed more natural in scenes that were less pumped up with stress. Being nervous doesn’t require being a nervous wreck, and the character would mean more to us if we could occasionally glimpse backbone. Kelly has a knack for and attraction to talkative characters like Rosannah, whom she always makes sound spontaneous and supplies with scads of quirky personality.
This Theater of Thought production is an ingenious and captivating take on a play well worth seeing.
Topics:
Theater
, Amber Kelly, Jeff Hodge
