William Wilson and Tabitha Trosen (Photo by Kie Sample)
Reviewed by Asa Fris
Art Crush LA at Atwater Village Theater
Thru May 4
RECOMMENDED
The world premiere of To Each Their Own by Travis Williams at Art Crush LA is an excellent first staging of Williams’ Midwestern thriller. Though unfocused at moments, director Brooklyn Sample and ensemble have fully realized and explored the events of the play.
It’s been five years since Doug returned to his hometown, Convoy, Ohio, and rekindled his friendship with his childhood friends, Benny and Bailey. He’s returned for a reason — to recruit the two to rob banks under direction from a mysterious informant named Price. But in To Each Their Own, every action has a consequence, and five years later, Doug’s have caught up to him.
Williams’ story deals with loyalty and love in the face of economic hardship, and To Each Their Own contains all the elements of a great play. The dialogue is humorous and touching, and characters continually find themselves in situations with uncertain outcomes. At times, it is heavy handed with exposition, especially when characters tell each other things they already know. And the final scene of the play recontextualizes characters too late to have any impact on the story. But most of the time, the action is clear and the acting is excellent.
Each performance is full of emotional life and forward motion. James Lemire as Benny is hilarious and sincere, while Jason Madera delivers an equally funny and free rendering of Billy. Tabitha Trosen and William Wilson, as Bailey and Doug respectively, play off each other well and deliver many intensely charged sequences. And playwright Travis Williams is persuasively threatening as Irving, and adds some thrill to the piece.
Director Sample’s staging is simple but intentional. Sometimes, in scenes between Doug and Bailey, characters seem to move for the sake of moving, but this is the exception rather than the standard. Luke Moyer’s lighting design captures the neon grunge of a Midwestern bar, and highlights character moments in a subtle but effective manner. And Thomas Brown’s set design feels lived in and conducive to the action. Overall, Sample’s collaboration with the actors and designers has made her vision succinct and successful.
Every technical element of the play, from voiceovers to the fight choreography by Marc Antonio Pritchett, is entertaining, well-crafted, and specific. There are small inconsistencies within the soundness of the design but many are due to the constraints of the space, and none really distract from the performances.
Sample and company have paid close attention to To Each Their Own. Their work is entertaining and an excellent realization of Williams’ play.
Blind Toe Productions and Erin Coleman, Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater. Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 6 pm; thru May 4. https://www.artcrush.la/ Running time approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with an intermission
