Theater in the Edge is opening its doors again after being closed for two years due to the pandemic. This theater company always accomplishes something truly unique. This intimate space make you feel like you are living with the actors. The intricate and hyper realistic set design of Samantha DiGeorge instantly allows you to step back in time. I had been sketching for 15 minutes when Pam pointed out that the calendar on the wall was for 1979.
Good Night Gracie by Ralph Pape has a simple and straight forward story, friends are gathering to go to a high school reunion but in the hours that pass they get high and discover that none of them are living the life they hoped for.
House music included Pink Floyd so I felt instantly at home. Christopher Ivers as Steve entered and began rummaging through a cupboard for a can of soup. He ate the soup straight out of the can and I had to sketch this seemingly mundane moment.
Joshua Fulmer as Jerry entered and it it became cleat that Steve was an uninvited guest. These to were life long friend with plenty of baggage between them. Audra Torres as Jerry’s girlfriend had an accent I couldn’t quite place and seemed to lack confidence.
The rare exception is a performance by Natalie Bulajic as Catherine who embraced every moment. In describing her awakening in high school during the Cuban missile crisis she gave a performance that rivaled the dinner scene in When Harry Met Sally. It was the greatest laugh in the play. There were fun moments throughout as characters played off of one another. They however seemed stuck in time unable to escape the cycles that have played out since high school.
