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The Rice Thresher
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Megan Smith thresher staff
The play begins when Deb's (Jenny Maguire) dentist appointment turns out to be a meeting with the devil (Edmond Genest). Deb buys time by promising to claim souls for the underworld and kicks off her search for souls by securing a job at the Walt Disney Corp. A turn of events gives Deb her boss' job, and as a high-level executive, she carries out a Faustian plot to increase Disney's profits. Synergy is humorous and definitely entertaining. Reddin's flamboyant writing forces the audience to expect the unexpected, but the playfulness almost makes one forget that there is supposed to be a message in the play. One example of its contradictory nature is when Deb, a selfish, scheming bitch, is given an extreme punishment for doing the right thing for once in her life. Another example is when the only good character in the play, Roland (Christopher Duva), is repeatedly thrown from a 26th floor window. The play tries to say that being good doesn't pay, but being bad isn't a good alternative. It is unclear what Reddin wants the audience to take from the play. Another problem with Synergy is that one plot tangent that becomes critical to the ending is never fully developed. It is briefly mentioned in the first act in such an offhand way that it seems to have been added after the initial writing. Therefore, in the end, the audience is left trying to recall a seemingly insignificant detail because it's the key to the outcome of the play. Meanwhile, central aspects of the plot, like Deb's special project at Disney, are left unexplained. The role of the Disney Corp. is also undeveloped and the audience may wonder why Reddin bothered using Disney's name. He could have just as easily used a fictional name for all the relevance it has to the plot. The dialogue is a challenge to the actors; they are often expected to say things that seem out of character. Genest, as the devil, seems to handle this better than Maguire's Deb. Genest takes his slang-filled lines, which contrast sharply with his Rat Pack image, and uses them to add quirk and depth to his character. Maguire struggles with some of her obscure lines and cannot seem to resolve them with her character. Maguire's feisty Deb is full of energy, but at times a bit overdone. She seems to portray her fuming frustration more for the sake of the audience than for the other characters, much like a stand-up comic would. Her New York accent comes and goes, and while Maguire approaches the character well, she lacks control of her performance. Genest plays a roguish Lucifer who mixes mischief and cool like Dean Martin mixes a drink, and he fills the role with ease, roaming the stage with a cigarette or drink in hand. The rest of the actors play their parts convincingly. Callum Keith-King, as Otto, stands out in his caricature of an aggressive German needing lessons in anger management. His wrestler build is perfect for the role, and the range of his movements, from domineering to docile, takes his character well beyond its intended dimensions. Keith-King's performance leaves the audience wondering if anyone would be able to play this character quite as well. The staging in the round presents a unique problem for director Karen Kohlhaas. This is handled well throughout most of the play, but some scenes leave certain sections of the audience excluded. The first scene has a short couch in it; try to sit where you can face someone sitting in it. The lighting is well done, from quietly dramatic spotlights to extravagant disco lighting. The costumes are appropriately flattering with a few eccentric touches. Otto's purple patent leather sneakers and Marc's (Eric Sheffer Stevens) cowboy boots are particularly odd. All in all, Synergy is worth seeing, if only for something light and different. Enjoy this play for what it is, a comedy with a little touch of the absurd.
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