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REVIEW: Shrewd Productions’ The Long Now

By Rob Faubion

Tisch has a secret friend - Time. By calling on her omnipotent guide, she can relive the happier segments of her past, freeing her from the hum-drum existence of her present life. But the bargain she struck has dire consequences, as Time controls both her destiny and her sanity.

For the debut of her new play The Long Now, playwright and director Beth Burns has crafted a workable, Twilight Zone-esque morality play. She explores the dangers of dwelling on the mistakes of past - or worse, trying to blot out their memories completely - without recognizing them as the life lessons for a more stable future.

Burns has assembled some of Austin's best stage talents to play out her story. The plot allows time for the audience to identify with - and ultimately care about - the inhabitants of this slice of life, while still moving the action forward at a pace that keeps the audience interested in the story. The Long Now will be one of those plays that you still mull over in your mind, several days after the cast has taken their bows.

Austin stage veteran Shannon Grounds does a marvelous job portraying the multi-layered "Tisch," slowly revealing a little more of the complex character with every scene. Mason J. Steward as her reunited schoolboy crush, "Larry," pulls off one of the more difficult requirements of the production: giving an "aw, sucks" lug of a guy both interesting and empathetic qualities without creating a stereotype.

But it's Anne Hulsman as Tisch's co-worker, "Sherrie," who rules the stage. Hulsman is one of the best - and most under-rated - actresses in Central Texas, and she creates a persona for The Long Now that is one of the most fascinating, fully developed performances

of the season.

A major highlight of the staging is Trouble Puppet Theatre's exquisite shadow puppets that represent the character "Time." Stephen Pruitt's lighting design and Connor Hopkins' simple set allow puppet designer Jesse Kingsley's menacing figures to appear when summoned by Tisch, to take her away from the harsh realities of her dead-end life.

However, the production stumbles during scene changes, as the physical limitations of The Blue Theatre have forced Burns to use her actors as stagehands. This slows down the show's pacing, which is vital to the success of the play. And the puppeteers were still struggling with manipulating their charges on opening night, hampered within the confined spaces of the stage.

But the trance-like original music by Burton Bell and T. Lynn Mikeska helps smooth out those rough edges. And the payoff in the final scene still works - even though it's a bit contrived. But just like real life, it's the rough edges of reality - not the cleaned up, glossed over memories - that give texture to our lives and allow us to feel something.

“The Long Now” runs throughJune 13th at The Blue Theatre, located at 916 Springdale Road. Performances run Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. For tickets and information, visit www.ShrewdProductions.com.

(Images [photos by Kimberley Mead]:

- Shannon Grounds and Mason J. Steward;

- Shannon Grounds and “Time” puppet.)