A somewhat more subtle message about the meaning of Christmas comes from Remnant, the holiday offering of Mustard Seed Theatre. In the play, by Ron Reed, it’s 75 years into the future after some sort of plague, whether literal or figurative, has swept North America. We find Barlow Sho’r (Ryan Lawson-Maeske) and his wife Delmar Nu1 (Marissa Grice) in a fortified building of some sort, their defense against marauding groups called Bikers and the solo operators known as Loners. They’re expecting a couple of guests for something called Christ mass, something the Old Ones talked about.
Barlow’s sister Annagail Bookr (Katy Keating) arrives with a big duffel bag, and then the last guest appears, Kristn Taler (Michelle Hand). But unseen by the hosts, there’s another person who’s silently appeared and tucked himself away in a dark, dark corner, a Loner (Adam Flores).
The set is a wonder, multilevel, full of fascinating remnants of the recent past – CRT monitors and reel-to-reel tape recorders, an old radio, one of those stereo sets that was a piece of furniture, and a lot of LP records, for instance. It’s from set designer Kristin Cassidy. Jane Sullivan’s costumes are remarkable, as well, particularly that of Hand’s character, who’s a sort of Mother Earth/sage-femme/historian.
But it becomes a difficult situation immediately, both because of acoustics and the language. The English spoken by these characters is oddly formed. Think Yoda, but in longer sentences. The black box theatre at Fontbonne is configured as a thrust stage here, which makes it easier to appreciate the set, certainly. But the three-sided audience situation means much of the time, actors’ mouths are aimed elsewhere and the sound bounces around before hitting the listening ear. Early on when only Barlow and Delmar are onstage, they seem to be almost shouting at each other each time they speak, and that doesn’t assist in making out what they’re saying.
It’s almost like one of those English films with thick accents – it takes ten minutes or so before the ear accustoms itself to the accents and rhythm of the dialogue. Here, I’m not sure if it’s the ear of the beholder or the delivery of the cast, but things do ease up – some – and it’s easier to follow.
Lawson-Maeske’s Barlow isn’t an easy guy to like, angry and on edge until he proudly shows off what he’s made for this Christ mass celebration, and then lapsing back into that anger soon enough. Grice seems to know she’s ineffective in calming him down, and mostly cedes control. Keating, playing Booker, is a little goofy but enthusiastic, a creature very unlike her brother. It’s Michelle Hand, as Kristn, telling tales of the old Christ mass, who draws us into the story as she becomes a crone in the other sense of the world, older, wiser, free and strong. (Plus she’s nearly always understandable.) When Flores, as the Loner, reveals himself, the standoff between Barlow and him talks about what Christmas is, and therein is the message, conveyed as much by physical acting as the lines.
Deanna Jent directed; given the shortcomings of the sound, it’s a workable product.
Remnant
through December 23
Mustard Seed Theatre
6800 Wydown Boulevard at Big Bend
719-8060