Team Letts

Team Tracy

I have been anxiously awaiting this play for quite some time now. Having been a fan of it I figured I would treat myself twice. I saw both casts. I was not expecting much difference, well I was wrong! No big surprise for those who know me. Although I’m no expert, I found both casts compelling and very believable. Last weeks performance featuring ‘Team Tracy’ was a great way for the paranoia to begin.

The setting is rather depressing. Agnes, played with realistic perfection by Molly Breen, is a lonely, broken woman trying to live in obscurity from her ex husband, soon to be released from prison. She lives in a hole in the wall, messy motel room in Oklahoma. This poor woman has had some serious losses in her life that would be impossible to overcome. Breen’s performance is extremely moving. The pain and hopelessness is evident from the very beginning. Her portrayal of Agnes is reminiscent of a woman who has already died inside, going through the motions, not expecting any happiness.
Her only bright spot is her good friend RC, played with just the right amount of humor and loving concern by Tara Mc Bay. If you are going to have a small circle of friends, you need somebody like her on your side. She is a loyal and take no crap kind of gal.
Enter Peter, played by the talented and versatile Andy Woloszyn. At first you don’t realize how complex this guy is. His slight build adds to his performance in my opinion. It makes it more believable that he would be chosen as a human lab rat. He seems harmless. Woloszyn gives this character a touching, sympathy inducing quality. He makes you want to comfort and assure him that everything is going to be okay. Obviously Agnes felt the same way. Woloszyn really taps in to the psychopathic side of Peter. Fate brought him to Agnes it seems. He fills the void in her life. She grabs hold and don’t let go.
Her ex husband, Goss, played with a cocky mean streak and a knack for emotional and physical abuse, by Mic Rex, finds her and shows up every now and then to create more tension to the mix. He is intimidating, but in that uncertain mind game playing sort of way.
As the show evolves, the unseen bugs multiply and so do the tokes on the crack pipe. As I set watching the paranoia grow, I start to get caught up in it. Peter has convinced Agnes that the bugs are in him, planted in his body as an experiment by the military. Although it seems impossible, you find yourself wondering if he is right. This is when I started to itch a little. I guess the paranoia is contagious after all.
Everything comes to a disturbing climax not long after Dr. Sweet, played with a touch of subtle madness, by Anderson Dodd, shows up looking for Peter. This play has all the elements of a good psychological mind game, with a little room for doubt about what is really happening. It is disturbing, gripping and leaves you with a jittery feeling.
I can’t imagine the emotional ride Manus had in preparation for this, considering the dual cast twist. The intimate setting of Out Front on Main allows you to feel as though you right there in that sleazy motel too, bugs and all. Highly entertaining, true to the mission statement of Out Front, very edgy, thought provoking, to say the least, and contemporary. This theater is evolving into it’s own in a very unique way. The talent and love of the craft is evident as soon as you walk in the door. If you haven’t experienced it yet, go get caught up in the chaos of Bug.

After seeing ‘Team Tracy’ last week, I felt compelled to see ‘Team Letts’, since I’ve never had the opportunity to see the same play with a different cast in the same month, in the same theater. Quite a unique concept.

The differences were evident from the start. In this performance Agnes was played with a touch more fire and attitude by Jessica Theiss. A very talented and beautiful actress who oozes sensuality and vulnerability in this play, she comes off as being down and hopeless about her grim life, but there is a spark of confidence left. She gives Agnes a more defensive and tough veneer. Although it is just a facade, we later see.

As I sat there watching this for the second time, subconsciously comparing the two casts, I realize how much of acting is in the interpretation and ownership of the character. I let go of the comparisons and allowed myself to let these talented and beautiful people on this stage to carry me into the chaos that is Bug.

Peter, played by the gorgeous and unassuming David Bennett, takes more of a matter of fact approach to the character. He is very convincing. His portrayal of Peter is more serious and dark. He gives a sense of having suffered for so long that he is oblivious to anyone who he doesn’t find important to him at the moment. Just so happens, Agnes and her shabby hole in the wall is the only thing he is focusing on in the here and now, except for the bugs, of course.

As I am drinking this all in, enter RC, Agnes’ lesbian friend, played by Quiche Fletcher. She is the one responsible for the meeting of Agnes and Peter. Fletcher gives RC a nice feminine touch. She is breathtakingly beautiful and very protective of her friend. She quickly shows that pretty don’t mean weak. Her portrayal of RC gives you a sense of a lioness, exotic and graceful, you just don’t get too close, because she can take your head off if she so chooses.

As expected, in walks, completely unannounced or invited, Goss, played expertly by Buddy Jones. His adaption of Goss is so disturbing. Instantly you sense the intimidation and brutality of his personality. More mind game, less physical game, although he does throw his physical weight around some on Agnes. Jones immerses himself in Goss so thoroughly it is impossible for me to describe in words. His performance alone is reason enough to see this show. I have watched Buddy Jones evolve over the past year or so at Out Front and he never ceases to amaze me. His range and versatility is second to none.

As expected the paranoia takes over. Peter and Agnes holed up in isolation, in fear of being found fighting the infestation alone. That is until Dr. Sweet, played with a disturbing, slightly evil twist, by Hudson Wilkins, shows up looking for Peter. Wilkins gives this character a dark sinister flair. When he helps himself to the crack pipe that is ever present on the table, you get a feeling that he is perhaps just as disturbed as Peter. Just maybe there is some truth to Peter’s paranoia? Right when you think it is all in their heads, Dr. Sweet makes you wonder…could it be true? Unfortunately we never find out.

The climactic ending to this play leaves you feeling a little uneasy. Aside from feeling a little itchy, you want more. One wonders if the paranoia is because of the drugs or the bugs, or the drugs and the bugs are because of the paranoia?  Just go see it and draw your own conclusion. Well worth the effort. If you haven’t experienced Out Front on Main yet, you are missing out. I promise you will be welcomed with a smile and swept away into the disturbing reality of Tracy Letts Bug. There is no comparison, both casts are phenomenal in there own right. Either way you go, you will be glad you went.