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Edited and Published by Robert W. McDowell
June 8, 2023 Issue |
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A FREE Weekly E-mail Newsletter Covering Theater, Dance, Music, and Film in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill/Carrboro Area of North Carolina Since April 2001. |
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PART 4A: TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW BY PAMELA VESPER AND KELLY NELSON |
Allan Maule's The Weight of Everything We Know Will
Travel the World, Because the People Will Demand It!
The Weight of Everything We Know stars Jeff Ronan as Darrow and Shubhangi Kuchibhotla as Lucia (photo by Jennifer Robertson)Picture this if you will: In 2019, Durham, NC playwright Allan Maule sees, hears, or reads the news that the 143-year-old, golf-ball-sized hunk of a platinum/iridium alloy, known around the world as the kilogram, a.k.a. Le Grand K, has changed weight! What effect this has on the world, only scientists know; but Maule then thinks, "I see a rom com here"? Well, he did, and boy did he have a vision.
Drawing on Theatre Raleigh guest director Michael Berry's creative power, Berry and Maule -- along with a brilliant team of scenic, lighting, and sound designers -- bring Maule's inventiveness to fruition in the current world-premiere production of The Weight of Everything We Know. The stage is minimalistic, linear, basic, and simplistic. Scenic designer Sonya Leigh Drum knew that Shubhangi Kuchibhotla as Lucia and Jeff Ronan as Darrow would not need much to bolster their performance.
The additional use of a life-size mobile video screen takes the place of any other actors. The creativity of this prop, which would pop in and out of scenes, was genius. We must speak of the lighting with this piece as well. Lighting designer Andrew Parks used subtle, soft throws of light onto and behind the stage. The use of back lighting during the lovemaking scene was brilliant. It felt like being voyeuristic at a campground full of tents. The choice of soft music -- used intermittently by sound designer Eric Alexander Collins -- added subtlety and emotion to the experience.
The world premiere of Allan Maule's The Weight of Everything We Know stars Shubhangi Kuchibhotla as Lucia (photo by Jennifer Robertson)Set in the Theatre Raleigh Studio, a very intimate annex building of Theatre Raleigh, you feel almost part of the performance. With the front row seats set on the edge of the stage, our two thespian talents -- Jeff Ronan and Shubhangi Kuchibhotla -- are so close that they can look you directly in your eyes, engaging you, nah, enticing you, to follow them deeper into their journey.
The narrative starts with Darrow and Lucia meeting in a beaker/lab coat type of bar after swiping right on Bumble. Great banter in the bar between the writer Darrow and the astrophysicist Lucia leads the way to a compelling love story between two opposites. Lucia, the Ph.D., must have constants in her life, whereas Darrow shoots from the hip.
After learning that the kilogram's weight has changed, Lucia realizes that her research of many years is now all wrong and that she is also in jeopardy of being deported. Darrow, gallantly and gracefully, takes Lucia's scientific "facts and makes them sing," using his writing talents, ultimately helping guide her through the turmoil.
Jeff Ronan stars as Darrow in the world premiere of The Weight of Everything We Know by Allan Maule (photo by Jennifer Robertson)Through this 80-minute, nonstop flurry of scientific facts, humor, great one-liners, and soft intimate moments, the story reveals some truths. Opposites do attract. Words can hurt or heal, and sometimes the slightest changes can have a massive and profound effect on us all.
Chicks Picks: FYI Theatre Raleigh has a smaller version of its main stage called the Theatre Raleigh Studio, located across the street from the main theater at 3027 Barrow Dr. Just in case you missed that detail when purchasing your tickets.
The Weight of Everything We Know stars Jeff Ronan as Darrow and Shubhangi Kuchibhotla as Lucia (photo by Jennifer Robertson)Allan Maule's THE WEIGHT OF EVERYTHING WE KNOW (In Person at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday, June 3, 4, and 7-11), a world premiere directed by Michael Berry and starring Jeff Ronan as Darrow and Shubhangi Kuchibhotla as Lucia (Theatre Raleigh in the Theatre Raleigh Studio at 3027 Barrow Dr. in Raleigh). TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n0KUAGyhLo. THE PRESENTER/VENUE: https://theatreraleigh.com/, https://www.facebook.com/TheatreRaleigh, https://www.instagram.com/theatre_raleigh/, https://twitter.com/theatreraleigh, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBrPHqUNhtfRMWQ2Ej8Fxeg. 2023 SEASON: https://theatreraleigh.com/2022-main-stage-season/. VENUE: https://theatreraleigh.com/tr-studio/. DIRECTIONS/MAP: https://www.google.com/maps. COVID REQUIREMENTS: https://theatreraleigh.com/covid-19-updates/. ALLAN MAULE (Durham, NC playwright): https://allanmaule.com/, https://newplayexchange.org/users/20734/allan-maule, https://www.facebook.com/allan.maule, https://www.instagram.com/maulerballer/, https://twitter.com/MaulerBaller, and https://www.youtube.com/@allanmaule7201. TICKETS: $32 ($30 students, seniors, and active-duty military personnel), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-832-9997, info@theatreraleigh.com, or boxoffice@theatreraleigh.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Theatre Raleigh. Susie Potter's Triangle Arts Review Review.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Pamela Vesper has been a Raleigh resident for more than 20 years. A local attorney for licensed professionals, when she's not in court, Pam can be found watching or participating in local theater productions or enjoying the vibrant Raleigh music and craft beer scene. She also loves indie and foreign films and was an anchor on the local cable show, Movie Minutes. Pam has an opinion on just about everything; just ask her. Kelly Nelson is a Cary, NC native who has worn many hats: bartender, pet sitter, flooring guru, surgical technician, dancer, and firefighter, mother, and wife. Kelly is proud of it all. She grew up surrounded by art, thanks to her talented mother, who had a passion for playing the piano and organ, and also her brother, who is a great painter and sculptor. Kelly has always adored the arts and respected the time and effort that it takes for artists to create something wonderful. When Kelly isn't mountain biking, slalom water skiing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, or engaged in sports, you will find her outside or watching NFL football, which she finds artistic as well. She is giddy to help readers learn about the arts in our area. Click here to read their reviews for Triangle Review. |
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