Phillyist Reviews... Skin in Flames

I'd just like to say that there are other ways of conveying distress than hysterical crying, and that there are other ways of conveying fear than heavy breathing and uncontrollable pacing. I needed to get that out there because it seems to be a memo that a lot of people miss. And missing that memo can ruin what would otherwise be a really good play.

Guillem Clua's Skin in Flames, InterAct Theatre's final play in their 2006-2007 season, is, unfortunately, one such play. The story is compelling enough, and it's told in a very, very interesting fashion that I can't go into (because it would ruin everything if you do plan on seeing the play), but something about the actual production seemed... overwrought. Part of the problem might be that the play was running emotionally on high from the git-go. When you start like that, and the script leaves you no way to go but up, it means you're in trouble. If the mood at the beginning of the play had been slightly less escalated, perhaps the denouement would have been, too. And then it may have worked a little better.

Also problematic was the fact that the play is composed of overlapping scenes all acted on the same stage. I'm sure that this works to great effect in the written script, but it was hard to focus on dialogue between the two characters downstage when the two characters upstage are engaging in a sex act. Switching the lighting focus ever so slightly so that the action you were supposed to follow was more lit, and the action you were not supposed to follow was darker would have been a great help. The juxtaposition is sometimes supposed to be shocking, sure, but it was too much. I'm not saying that out of any sense of propriety—I'm all about onstage nudity when it serves a purpose—but rather as someone who has a better attention span than most and was still distracted.

The play wasn't all bad, though. The script, presented in translation by DJ Sanders, was a quite interesting look at the ramifications of New Imperialism, and the performers (Joe Guzman, Buck Shirner, Charlotte Northeast, and Leah Walton), although at times hysterical (and then probably more the fault of director Seth Rozin than through any fault of their own), were each very talented as they performed on scenic designer Matt Saunders' set, which did genuinely look like a hotel room. These elements came together to make the play at least bearable, even if it wasn't ultimately terribly successful.

Image courtesy of InterAct Theatre Company.