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REVIEW: Going to extremes in SpeakEasy Stage’s somber ‘Job’

Posted on February 3 by The Sleepless Critic

Talk about the dark web.

A woman on the edge and a man is barely keeping it together…at gunpoint.

Such is the opening of SpeakEasy Stage’s intense thriller Job, a two hander production that is at times, a nail biter and other times, a deep dive into a woman’s unfiltered thoughts, observations and teetering panic with a startling twist that holds a grievous and agonizing truth.

Directed with raw candor by Marianna Bassham, SpeakEasy Stage continues its 35^th season with Max Wolf Friedlich’s searing psychological thriller, Job through Saturday, February 7 live and in person at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts. This fast paced production contains strong language and adult themes running approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

From left: Josephine Moshiri Elwood and Dennis Trainor Jr. Photo by Benjamin Rose Photography

Set in downtown San Francisco in 2020, set designer Payton Tavares with Amanda E. Fallon’s moody lighting depicts a warmly lit and detailed therapist’s office in muted colors that features a leather couch, desk, several paintings and few family photos. Intense, hollow and at times creepily deafening, Lee Schuna’s carefully orchestrated sound design signals several significant moments during the production.

Job is not unfamiliar territory for director Marianna Bassham who starred in her Elliot Norton award-winning and indelible portrayal as Nina in SpeakEasy Stage’s People, Places and Things in 2022. While People, Places, and Things dives into the deep chasm of an addict, Job takes a different approach to trauma and addiction in Jane in a visceral performance by Josephine Moshiri Elwood. Having recently performed as idyllic Emily in Lyric Stage’s Our Town, Elwood shows her broad range depicting a deeply wounded, distressed, controlling and flawed individual wearing haphazard loungewear with a colossal chip on her shoulder. Jane condescends, snipes, is obstinate and shows narcissistic tendencies, but the why of it all will soon rise to the surface while Dennis Trainor Jr. skillfully portrays an alarmed yet seemingly mild mannered therapist Loyd who does what he can to temper this unpredictable situation.

Josephine Moshiri Elwood Photo by Benjamin Rose Photography

Elwood and Trainor Jr. hint at a battle of wits rapport and both are guarded in their own way which only allows glimpses into their true nature. It is fascinating to see how the conversation shifts as they learn more about one another.

From left: Dennis Trainor Jr. and Josephine Moshiri Elwood Photo by Benjamin Rose Photography

Job kicks off at an eleven and keeps its dialogue crisp. Much of this swiftly moving production tackles the nature of panic and anxiety and spans a number of scenarios real and imagined. It also takes a raw look at the dangers and the dark crevices of the digital age. It is a powerful production, but its potent content while gripping, may not appeal to everyone. It was a lot for me and could possibly conjure up some complex feelings for you as well. The production delivers pop culture references, politics, and contemporary issues while striving at lighter hearted moments in its occasional dark and dry humor, but the escalating situation may not leave much room for laughter.

SpeakEasy Stage continues its 35^th season with Max Wolf Friedlich’s tense psychological thriller, Job through Saturday, February 7 live and in person at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: SpeakEasy Stage produces imaginative and meaningful ‘Wild Goose Dreams’

Posted on April 4, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

The internet adds zing to an already imaginative tale.

Hansol Jung’s multi-dimensional Wild Goose Dreams fits into a few genres including romantic comedy, family drama, and a technological cautionary tale while also touching upon the political climate of North and South Korea. A show like this might have ended up fragmented, but Jung delves into these elements with finesse, candor, and a wealth of unpredictability. It is a unique production that manages the weight of some of its heavier topics with meaningful comedy and insightfulness helmed by a vibrant and charismatic cast.

Eunji Lim as Yoo and Ciara D’Hondt in ‘Wild Goose Dreams’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Directed skillfully by Seonjae Kim, SpeakEasy Stage Company continues Hansol Jung’s Wild Goose Dreams live and in person at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, April 8. The show is one hour 40 minutes with no intermission and contains adult themes. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Wild Goose Dreams is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster though the life of Yoo Nanhee, a North Korean defector living in South Korea. Weighed down by guilt, anxiety, and loneliness that cause her absurd, harrowing, and graphic dreams, Yoo happens upon a website that could change her life. Eunji Lim as Yoo Nanhee depicts introspective Yoo with quiet charm and vulnerability as she navigates her life to fulfill her parents’ absent expectations. John D. Haggerty has a mysterious, warm, and affable presence in Yoo’s life. Haggerty and Yoo’s benevolence toward each other is engaging and entertaining as Haggerty occasionally goes out on a limb for a laugh.

John D. Haggerty as Penguin in ‘Wild Goose Dreams’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Jeffrey Song portrays sympathetic Guk Minsung with humbleness, loneliness, self deprecating charm and seeming optimism. He is what is termed a “goose man” working outside the country where his family lives and sends money to support them. Minsung’s wife and daughter are seldom seen in their roles, but Elaine Hom and Amanda Centeno make their selective scenes memorable.

The Internet in ‘Wild Goose Dreams’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

With the internet playing a greater role in the majority of people’s everyday lives, it has developed a unique way of becoming its own character. Not a blatant or obvious one, but many times, it is a tool to distract from various levels of loneliness and an unlikely companion for some even if it isn’t real. Wild Goose Dreams takes that premise and packs some zing with an assortment of vivid characters represented by Amanda Centeno, Fady Demian, Elaine Hom, Ciaran D’Hondt, John D. Haggerty and Ryan Mardesich who collaboratively bring to life the noisy, cloying, obnoxious, intricate, detailed and not so reliable internet. The wildly inventive and outrageous costuming and accessories by Machel Ross enhances that silly, eye popping, strange, tempting yet resourceful world in a whirlwind of colors of avatars, emojis, pop up windows, and even hypertext coding. It must have been great fun putting it all together and fascinating to witness just how well the internet not only adds some lightness to this fervid tale, but blends so well with the plot. Crystal Tiala’s colorful, multipurpose, and multilevel set design leaves room for the cast’s zaniness while including some of Korea’s lighthearted landmarks like KFC. The zippy, hollow, and rattling web sounds from sound designer George Cooke along with other vocal stylings verbalized by the cast themselves heightened each aspect of this madcap and moving ride.

Eunji Lim as Yoo Nanhee and Jeffrey Song as Guk Minsung in ‘Wild Goose Dreams’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

SpeakEasy Stage Company continues Hansol Jung’s Wild Goose Dreams live and in person at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, April 8. Click here for more information and for tickets.