Defenders
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Broadwater Black Box
Through December 8
On May 10, 1940, Iceland was invaded by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines because the British government feared the possible Nazi takeover of the country. A little over a year later, defense of the country was transferred to the United States. Against this backdrop, Cailin Maureen Harrison tells a story about three U.S. soldiers on a classified mission who are confronted by the powers of nature and myth.
The setting is a small village on the island of Hrísey, off the Icelandic coast, where a ferocious storm is raging. Into a decrepit church arrive Sergeant Frank McKinley (Tavis Doucette), Private Fred LeFleur (Spencer Martin) and Lieutenant Marcus Jansen (Bryan Porter). They are cold, wet, disoriented and, unfortunately, saddled with a broken radio and a machine gun that doesn’t work, all other supplies having been lost in the storm.
Their classified mission requires that they remain on the island. A former Wall Street exec, Jansen, the leader, is all business. McKinley is typical in his proclivity for strictly obeying the orders of superiors, but he also hopes that going along will nudge Jansen to get him a job on Wall Street after the war. Meanwhile, the teenaged LeFleur is from simple Cajun stock; his stated motive for enlisting was to get payback for wounds his father suffered during World War I. He spends nearly all his time trying to fix the broken machine gun.
Soon after, they are visited by islanders Geir Styrsson (John P. Connolly) the local pastor, and his daughter Vigdis (Una Eggerts). This first encounter is bursting with suspicion and violent tension, but as the story progresses, the inhabitants accommodate these “guests” with food, drink, and counsel.
From Styrsson we hear tales about the island’s mysterious past — of pirates who met tragic fates, and the story of the old church, which was once a site of pagan worship. This latter fact presages much of what transpires during the play, as one by one the soldiers experience the inexplicable, and learn that the Nazis — and themselves — aren’t all they are fighting.
There is much to admire about this play, but it is far from effective. The script is burdened with a lot of purposeless dialogue, while the tension that is so artfully established at the outset by director Reena Dutt gradually goes into a deep wane, and the supernatural goings-on which transpire throughout are not all utilized to good outcome. Performances, on balance, are good (Connolly is exceptional). Jesse Mandapat’s sound design is very effective, as is Dominik Krzanowski’s lighting schema.
The Broadwater Black Box, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; Mon., 8 p.m.; through Dec. 8. www.Onstage411.com/defenders or (323) 960-5770. Running time: one hour and 20 minutes with no intermission.
