Stage Takes

And What of the Children is a show of epic proportions, written and directed by Ryan Lisman and a cast of 18 (actors), running at 2 hours and 35 minutes (plus 10 minute intermission). It is “completely rewritten” Ryan has stated, but the themes of loyalty, intergenerational trauma remain the same. The play follows 3 siblings living under witness protection, when one’s identity is unfolded through their OnlyFans video being released. As I watched the show, I thought, “Oh, an interesting commentary on Only Fans.” But no, a twist. Lisman always surprises me! And another twist – a classic Ryan Lisman production. There is not much I want to say about the show because it’s one where you want to go in knowing nothing.

We enter the space, with ensemble members dressed in all black, muttering words from the cult. Does a good job in setting the space. But, I think, because the show is so big, that the little details become too much. The play takes place over a period of time. Ryan really worked hard to put together this show and it’s not an easy feat to get the audience to care. There are a few separate storylines, all that are related. The performers are terrific! I really loved how Thomas McNamara steals the show, creepy and gripping throughout the show. The set is pretty minimal, keeping the focus on the storyline.

First act starts out strong, engaging the audience to these character’s heightened dilemma. But the second half spiraled into something different all together. My opinion is that there were too many storylines to fit. A conversation with a friend allowed me to realize the lack of subtext in this show, and the lack of subtext within theater in general these days. I wonder if it has become too hard to produce shows with a lot of subtext, are actors not interested in playing roles that are not intense? It’s raw, and in our face, which is… a style, but it creates an alienation effect from the audience. A lot of telling howw you feal rather than speaking. The play asks if people can truly escape their past. “Ambitious!” “Solid play!” “Worth checking out!”

I saw this show recently… I saw it during the Fringe Festival. At the same space, that is. In fact, the last show I saw was a Ryan Lisman show; I really need to broaden my horizon. Again, all these reviews are my personal opinion. As I was driving to this show, fearing that World War 3 was about to begin at any moment, I asked, why this show? Maybe it’s just bad timing — for the world to be potentially ending. Another note is that this psychological, horror-like play does not fit the day-time showing (for Saturday/Sunday performance).

There are two more weekends. Try to catch a Saturday/Sunday afternoon performance, as it is pay what you like ($12-$24) *Not removing the review