A Bright New Boise, now on the Dezart Performs stage, is a play that raises a lot of questions—and leaves the answers up to you, the innocent viewer.
The play was written by Idaho native Samuel D. Hunter, who is getting a lot of attention right now for one of his other works, The Whale; the film adaptation of that play, starring Brendan Fraser, is an Academy Awards contender. Hunter won the 2011 Obie Award for playwrighting for A Bright New Boise.
The lead character, Will, has moved to the titular Idaho city looking for a new life. While being interviewed for a job at the Boise Hobby Lobby, he is asked where he came from, and he hesitates before answering—so we spot the first clue. At the sold-out performance we attended, the house held its breath throughout the show.
Directed by Michael Shaw, Dezart Performs’ artistic director, Boise features a cast of five romping through the script, and the high energy is amazing. (Shaw takes the stage to welcome the audience, and at our performance, there were actually people from Boise present! It was too dark for me to identify them and interview them later, but it would be so interesting to know what they thought about the play.)
Eric Patrick Harper plays Will; he is a former Julliard student who brings a lovely clarity to his vocal skills. When he raises his voice near the end of the show, it will make your hair stand on end.
Nicole Delsack plays Pauline, the manager of the Hobby Lobby, and she nearly steals the show with her cranky, ill-tempered portrayal of The Manager From Hell. She roars at everyone and attempts to lay down the law over and over again, and she is just so much fun to watch.
Jacob Cherry plays Alex, the youngest member of the cast, though we were surprised to learn that he is old enough to be a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. He is very believable in his role, perfectly capturing a portrait of a confused teenager with his mind-changing and split-second-lasting opinions. He “thinks” he wants to be a rap musician?
Lea Madda is Anna, a longtime Hobby Lobby employee; her smoothness in the role is partially explained by the fact that Madda has a master’s degree in acting from UCLA. She brings a maturity and a hopelessly stuck quality to her complex character, and has done a lot of thinking to bring Anna to life.
Austin Minard plays the part of Leroy. He brings a big-brother feel to the play—and it is eventually revealed that he actually is Alex’s adopted brother. As the resident authority on paint color at Hobby Lobby, he knows his position is secure, and this gives him a lazy authority which he wields at his pleasure.
The show at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club is fully professional, with lighting by the very accomplished Phil Murphy; set design from the famous Jimmy Cuomo; costumes by the great Frank Cazares; and extraordinary sound and sound effects by Clark Dugger.
So, back to the story: The mystery has to do with family and religion. Will, we learn, was a member of the rather unconventional “New Life” church—which disbanded rather dramatically. We get glimpses into this church’s sometimes odd views about society, and the dominance of the group’s pastor—hmmm, haven’t we all heard this somewhere before?—through the conversations of Will and the other employees.
The entire show takes place in the employee lounge of the Hobby Lobby, and part of the parking lot outside. (The movement to and from the parking lot is masterfully done, combining an amazing variety of music with complete mood changes.) We have to make mention of a closed-circuit TV which plays continually in the Hobby Lobby employee lounge, which flips between unexplained gory surgeries and an incredibly boring new-products demo by two corporate drones the manager has named Woody and Harrelson. (Kudos to Joel Bryant and Shawn Abramowitz, who voiced these parts!)
A Bright New Boise is billed as a dark comedy, although outside of that aforementioned TV, there are not a lot of laughs. However, there are numerous interesting bits, including a speech by manager Pauline during which she reveals that she saved the Hobby Lobby from folding; Will’s ongoing struggles to create a blog; and the nuanced relationships between the characters.
Dezart Performs has mounted a well-done production of A Bright New Boise—a play that guarantees you will leave the theater with a head full of questions.
Dezart Performs’ production of A Bright New Boise is performed at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $39 to $45, and the show runs just less than two hours, with no intermission. For more information, call 760-322-0179, or visit www.dezartperforms.com.
Religious Queries: Dezart Performs’ ‘A Bright New Boise’ Is an Excellent Production That Will Leave Your Head Full of Questions is a story from Coachella Valley Independent, the Coachella Valley’s alternative news source.