The stage is bare. The lights come up. A staff of three technicians (Steve Stetak, Miranda Porter, Peggy Schneider) wheel in a bed and an exterior corner of the house belonging to Tom and Rachel (Michael Alexander, who plays two other roles, and April Boatman). Tom is sprawled on the bed, obviously in anguish. Rachel is looking out the window as snow is falling (provided by technician Porter), overly joyously happy. After a lengthy monologue she bounces over the Tom snuggling romantically, trying in vain to arouse his affection or, at least, attention.
He finally looks at her, remorsefully informing her that he has paid for a hit on her and the assassin is due any moment. Thus begins Craig Lucas' strangely charming Reckless, under the excellent direction of Patrick McBride. It's Christmas Eve. This is definitely not your traditional holiday fare. The play, with more than 30 scene changes, follows the exploits of Rachel. Escaping her husband and the assassin, she's picked up on a road by Lloyd (Grant Gelvin), who takes her home to live with him and his wife, Pooty (Kat Vaughan), a wheelchair-bound deaf-mute.
We soon find that reality is not always what it seems to be as the multiple stories of each character unfold. Along the way, as the Christmases pass speedily by, Rachel sees her husband again, with unfortunate results, gets a job, is shot at, has great success on a TV quiz show, and becomes a patient of a shrink actually six different doctors. Kelli Harless brilliantly plays all six, each one distinctively different from the others.
JJ Rowley is way over-the-top as a quiz show emcee, only one of his three roles. Bianca Alexander also does double duty as Rachel's coworker and a patient.
Playwright Lucas never lets up. Just when the audience is relatively comfortable with the course of action, he creates a new set of circumstances that alter poor Rachel's reality and, thus, the audience's linear thinking.
Especially designed are the set changes; none lasts more than 15 seconds. They are choreographed to perfection; not one accident, not one piece in the wrong place. Each disappears and reappears to its assigned location...in a word, brilliant.
The action all takes place in Springfield, of which there are over 20 in the United States. The playwright, I think, limits the locations to Massachusetts, Ohio, and Georgia.* Reckless is a tour de force of April Boatman and a very wild ride for the audience. It is just plain fun. Be advised that drinking alcohol prior to the performance is strongly discouraged. You definitely need your wits about you. A warning to sensitive ears there is a bit of off-color language. I hope you enjoy the trip as much as I did.
