Last Sunday, I got the chance to see The Loyola Evergreen Players' production of Trust, a series of vignettes about five people trying to fall in love, set against the backdrop of the rock music scene.
The production starred junior Katherine Egan as Gretchen, the dressmaker, senior Timm Woods as Cody, the musician sitting on top of the world, junior Bobbi Datz as Becca, his sharp and prying wife, senior Adriana Spizuoco as Leah the aging rock star looking for another shot, senior Michelle Kreher as Holly the bohemian groupie, and senior Paul Zajac as Roy, the awkward public radio announcer.
Having very little knowledge of the play upon entering the theatre, I turned to my program for guidance. At first, Director James Bunzli's notes didn't make sense to me. Commenting on others' reviews of the performance and on the playwright Steven Dietz, he writes, Dietz does not mis-step, preferring his own cleverness to verisimilitude, as some critics have suggested.
Rather, he inhabits his play with characters who think in these terms. After seeing the play, I realized what Bunzli meant, that the characters' first instinct is always to make a witty remark instead of a heartfelt one and that even as they attempt to forge true relationships with one another, they are foremost concerned with protecting their own sense of self worth. When searching for love they are far more willing to trust music and film clichés over human intuition.
The sharp but hilarious dialogue is interwoven with music. A spoken song title sets the theme for each scene, and characters take turns narrating the confused, self-depreciative but helplessly optimistic minds of their counterparts as they attempt to navigate the rules of the dating game. The play is strikingly real, and the people in the audience cannot help but laugh as they see themselves and their own idiosyncrasies and strange dating practices reflected in the characters.
Great job to all the cast and crew on a great performance! Special congratulations and good luck to all the graduating seniors: Nicole Becker, Michaela Healey, Michelle Kreher, Alec Lawson, Adriana Spizuoco, Charlie Strode, Timm Woods, and Paul Zajac! Many of them you made great contributions to Loyola's theatre department over the years, and we will never forget you. Whatever you guys decide to do in your future in life and love, break a leg!
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