'Indian Summer' Review
Jamie Sanger, Shamey Cramer, Maeve Thompson Osgood, and Baskin Betsworth star in Gregory S. Moss's emotional coming-of-age comedy directed by Anna Jones.
The last time I experienced the beauty and magic of theater was back in the Fall of 2015. The play I saw was a local production of Joe Masteroff’s Cabaret that was performed at the Loft Ensemble in North Hollywood. After the play was over and as I walked out of the venue, I remember very vividly recalling what it is I thought and felt about the performance. I thought, “that was so immersive and beautiful and magical! I was there, in the world of the play, I was there.”
After that night, I wanted, no, needed, more magic. More theater. Alas, I only watched one more local play after Cabaret before life happened and I disappeared from that world completely.
You know, it's funny how life happens; how it can lure you back into something you gave up on or disappeared from completely. Suffice to say, I was lured back into theater one October night in 2022 when I received an invitation to watch Indian Summer by Gregory S. Moss. And what do you know? It was held at the Loft Ensemble, the same place I watched Cabaret. And what else do you know? After the play ended, I ended up thinking and feeling the same thing I did seven years ago: “that was beautiful. And immersive. And magical. And I want more.”
Funny how life can make you go through one long full circle, isn’t it?
The story is a tale as old as time. Boy meets girl. Girl is amazing and hilarious and perfect but… taken. Cue the internal agony. I think it’s safe to say that nearly all of us have gone through what Daniel has, except aromantic individuals, beautiful and rare creatures who I am slightly envious of. Nevertheless, because nearly all of us have had a “Jessie’s Girl,” if you will, the story becomes real, grounded, and relatable.
When Daniel, played by Jamie Sanger, lashed out in one scene which had him kick and destroy a bucket of sand when he felt as if he would never be with Izzy, I felt his anger. And frustration. And when Izzy, played by Maeve Thompson Osgood, shared “what if’s” of her future to Daniel, I laughed alongside her at the beginning. But towards the end… I became just as sad and confused as she was.
The other two characters, Jeremy, a loud and simplistic macho man you can’t help but love who was played by Baskin Betsworth, and George, a cranky and lonely grandfather who was played by Shamey Cramer, has their own moment to shine. Their moment where they open up their heart and reveal their vulnerabilities. Their secrets. And in these moments, I as the audience member almost felt as if I was an intruder who had stumbled into a room where these characters were pouring out their heart and soul. That feeling of intrusion is something I seldom experience in cinema.
And there lies the beauty of theater: the intimacy. The magic. Because theater is a restricted art form, especially for small and local plays like Indian Summer which didn’t have a grand or expensive set or production, it forces the script to focus on the human condition. On universal themes and emotions like the torn and complicated love between Daniel, Izzy, and Jeremy. And on the grief George experiences over the passing of his wife.
Furthermore, because the very nature of theater is minimalistic, it forces the audience member to rely heavily on their imagination. There was one moment in the play where Daniel and Izzy held hands and stared at fireworks, which consisted of a few stage lights flickering dozens of different colors. And that moment transported me to a memory of mine in Lake Arrowhead where I watched a firework spectacle on a dock at night that was reminiscent of Daniel and Izzy’s special moment.
Imagination. It goes hand in hand with Indian Summer’s emotional story. Top that emotion off with sharp dialogue which felt reminiscent of David Mamet’s style whose witty characters talk over one another, resulting in this beautiful but chaotic back-and-forth banter, and you’re left with an intimate and magical experience in Indian Summer.
I missed that. I missed the beauty and magic of theater.
The play was produced by EV Productions, a female-run company, and their mission is to bring theater to the forefront of Los Angeles and inspire a love for live performance that brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate stories of diversity, culture, and humanity.
Well, EV Productions, mission accomplished. You re-ignited my love for live performance and I just know that big things await the production company. Alas, the company is new, and in Anton Ego’s words from Ratatouille, “the world is often unkind to new talent. New creations. The new needs friends.”
At the expense of sounding cheesy, know that you have a friend in me. I will be returning to a future EV Productions soon, hungry for more.
Comments
Post a Comment