Review: THE LARAMIE PROJECT, The CornerHOUSE
The Laramie Project is a verbatim play first seen in 2000 and deals with the murder of gay student Matthew Shepard. In this production by Cellar Door Theatre, in partnership with Kingston LGBTQ+ Forum, a cast of nine portray the many individuals from the town of Laramie, Wyoming, who were interviewed by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project. These interviews were then structured by Kaufman into the play telling the story of the murder and its aftermath.
It’s a challenging piece to take on, and, for the most part, the Cellar Door Company (directed by Brittany Rex) are up to the task. They work hard to try to add pace to the more static first half, but are most effective after the interval when the courtroom scenes and actions of protestors provide a narrative arc which is more varied than that of the earlier sections. The cast portray up to eight characters each, and using accents that are convincing and well maintained, although occasionally to the detriment of clarity. The occasional cross-gender casting, whilst totally acceptable in every other way, did occasionally cause slight uncertainty about characters where only props were changed and not costume.
Aimee Wallis was extremely effective in the final sections of the play, and Laura Shipler Chico and Anna Seyerle both scored with their directness and clarity, although in very different ways. Different characters were indicated by simple props such as a pair of glasses, a scarf or a badge, and Dylan Levien was particularly good at using such minimal changes to create a new character. It is impossible to mention all the cast, but there were no weak links and this was very much an ensemble piece.
Good use was made of a video screen to provide context, a helpful addition for many of the audience. The simple setting used the stage at the Cornerhouse Arts Centre in Surbiton as well as an area in front of it. The audience were arranged on three sides giving some difficult sightlines for those not on raised sections, but increasing involvement.
Those of us who remember the shocking news of the Matthew Shepard murder in 1998 were probably in the minority in the audience, and the story may well have been new to some. It is one of the benefits of the play that Matthew Shepard will be remembered and the work inspired by him continues.
The Laramie Project is a powerful piece of verbatim theatre, given a worthy and highly effective production by Cellar Door Theatre.
*** Three Strs
Reviewed by Chris Abbott
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