Lab! Theatre Presents 'Cryptogram'

"Cryptogram"

Fri., Nov. 1

Three Stars

Lab! Theatre's newest production, "Cryptogram," is all about what's not there.

With only three cast members, a small set and on-stage seating for the audience, the play is intimate in many ways.

From the beginning, the performers delve into the problems that are quietly controlling the lives of their characters. These issues, which become clearer and clearer throughout the play, all revolve around a character that neither appears on stage nor is given a name.

Donny (Katie Cunningham) battles with marital woes. Her son John (Berry Newkirk) neurotically struggles with his father's absence. And Del (Chris Mattsson) must deal with his envy of this husband-father figure.

Reminiscent of Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," the play is set in one room in which characters' interpersonal problems draw the play's focus. John struggles to prepare for a camping trip with his father while talking with Del, an intellectual prude. It is evident from the start that Del, who constantly waxes philosophical, is a family friend with ulterior motives.

All issues affect Donny, who is forced to weather the problems of John and Del while struggling with her own issues of loneliness and feelings of inadequacy.

The complexity of the plot is handled well enough by director Mike Harwood. Meanwhile, the intensity of David Mamet's script is a grueling task for any performer, much less actors and actresses with limited experience.

Mattsson is rather believable as Del, whose dark-rimmed glasses and stiff wardrobe absolutely reflect his persona. Del's rigidity is often comical and his stubbornness loosens the tension in each scene.

In the difficult role of a child, Newkirk was neither convincing nor awful. Though successfully irritating, the actor didn't make it clear whether he was really a child or just a young adult with some kind of mental handicap.

The gem of the production was Cunningham. Her character, a strong yet troubled woman, morphed from stern to fragile with ease and frequency. Unlike her co-stars, the actress exuded the maturity and grace of a performer with years of stage experience.

Without a doubt, Cunningham carried the production -- although the resolution was ambiguous and the results were unsettling.

"Cryptogram," as a result is graced with flashes of magical brilliance but haunted by poor execution.

The play through Nov. 19 in Old Playmakers Theatre. Admission is free.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.