Kodachrome @ Circle Theatre
Photos by TayStan Photography
—Reviewed by Sam Lisman
All year long, Circle Theatre has made it abundantly clear that it belongs in any discussion of which groups arethe most elite in DFW’s crowded theater community. With its season finale, Adam Szymkowicz’s Kodachrome, the company has cemented that status.
Kodachrome, which debuted in 2018 in Portland, Oregon, is a joint production with Theatre TCU, expertly directed by Jennifer Engler (Chair of the university’s Theatre Department) and featuring a dozen or so TCU students.
This larger-than-usual cast (normally a few actors would double up the smaller roles) is anchored and dominated (in a good way) by Lauren LeBlanc, who turns in a wonderful performance, deserving of all the praise she will receive.
Our Town was clearly on Szymkowicz’s mind when he wrote this play. While it touches on many of the same themes as that classic, it does so without being derivative, instead tipping its hat to Wilder’s masterpiece. There are three great similarities between the plays, only two of which I’ll mention: both take place in small-town New England, and both feature a narrator. Although the characters have proper names, The Photographer (LeBlanc), who is the narrator, refers to them by titles (usually their occupations). This makes sense, as she is removed from them—outside of the action, constantly taking snapshots, preserving memories. As she takes us through the town, we learn about the townspeople and their lives, as well as hers. There are twists fairly early on, but significant enough that I absolutely refuse to spoil the discoveries.
For the most part, it’s a normal small town with regular, everyday people. There’s a Hardware Store Owner (Ian Ferguson), a Librarian (Whitney Blake Dean), a Waitress (Alanna Stern), a Florist (Hannah Le Beau), a Young Man (Austin Harper), a Young Woman (Izzie Yother), a History Professor (Stan Graner), a Mystery Novelist (Krista Scott), a Policeman (Joseph Perez), two EMTs (Emma Annan-Noonoo and Gabriel Cohen, who nearly steal the show), a Friend (Johanna Quigley), a girl named Marjorie (Faith Lee) who should have been titled The Daughter, and two not-so-normal people, an expert Perfume Maker (Ethan Hyatt), and a Gravedigger (Andrew Nicolas), who just happens to see—and can communicate with—his “clients.”
The play focuses on love and relationships, those at the beginning and those at the end, requited and unrequited, and (without being pretentious) on the purpose of life. The Young Man and The Young Woman are in love, while The Professor and The Novelist, married with two grown children, feel they no longer are. The Florist loves The Perfume Maker, but he in turn is obsessed with The Waitress, who is very interested in The Policeman. (Perhaps Szymkowicz was also thinking of The Seagull ?) Most importantly, though, The Librarian clearly is in love with The Hardware Store Owner, a widower, but can’t seem to tell him—or even hint. All this physical and emotional life is framed and captured for us by The Photographer.
Ian Loveall’s scenic design works very well; the same set pieces serve for a half dozen locations, transitioning seamlessly as different props (by Kaitlin Hatton) are emphasized. But it’s the projection design by Tristan Decker (who also designed lighting) that captures our attention. As The Photographer snaps her pictures, they appear in “panes” of the weathered windows and doors of the set for us to see live, mixed in with photos of the characters’ own histories from childhood onward. This brilliantly adds an element rarely included in stage productions.
The sound by Mattie E. Hinckley is excellent, both for the original music composed by Ian Ferguson (The Hardware Store Owner) and familiar songs in the flashbacks. Elissa Oeschler’s costumes are precisely what each character should be wearing, and LeBlanc is especially well accentuated in clothing that shifts subtly from silvery gray/white to all-white.
I do have two minor quibbles. Although we know there are no small parts, the considerable talents of Krista Scott and Stan Graner (The Novelist and The Professor) feel a bit wasted. It’s a reasonably short play, yet I wish Szymkowicz had given their intriguing characters more time. Also, while the students were believable in their roles, it seemed that several characters were clearly written as older. Wigs and make-up would have helped the audience stay in the moment more easily. I stress again that the actors portrayed the characters properly; it was just the visual that seemed off. But those complaints pale in comparison to the fine quality of the script and the performances of the four key players.
Dean (The Librarian) captures the essence of a woman who keeps putting off the action needed to move out of the life to which she’s resigned herself. The always solid Ferguson (The Hardware Store Owner) is a man who is simply not willing to move on from his greatest loss. Nicolas (The Gravedigger) distinguishes himself in the difficult role of a tolerated eccentric (he is a former classmate of several of the other main characters) who lives with difficulty in two worlds. And LeBlanc, again, gives a warm, exemplary performance in a consuming and challenging role.
This funny, moving, important work has a few weeks more to run, which is good—it’s not to be missed. Personally, I intend to see it again.
WHEN: Through November 19
WHERE: Circle Theatre, downtown Fort Worth
WEB: circletheatre.com
