'Blackbird' doesn't flinch

Blackbird

The Arizona Republic
Kerry Lengel
Publication Date: September 28, 2009

A 40-year-old man has sex with a 12-year-old girl. It's a crime, an unforgivable one. As simple as that.

It is also a whole lot more complicated in "Blackbird," the unflinching drama from Stray Cat Theatre. Not because there is any context that could excuse the act, but because every human story is unique. Guilt, pain, desire - all these universals come in infinite flavors, which, come to think of it, is what makes drama possible in the first place.

Written by Scottish playwright David Harrower, "Blackbird" plays out in a dingy break room where a grown-up Una confronts her abuser, Ray, 15 years after their encounter ended with a prison term for him and public humiliation for her. Anxious to keep his past hidden from his co-workers outside the door, Ray tries to cut their conversation short, but their verbal combat slowly unwinds every detail of their relationship, leaving them both stripped of their defenses.

Harrower's stop-and-go dialogue, and the knot-tangled psychologies that it reflects, both raise the degree of difficulty for the actors. Nina Miller and David Vining tackle the material bravely and discover moments of emotional clarity, but more nuance and ambiguity would make the performances stronger. They never quite make you forget that you are watching actors on a stage.

Nonetheless, "Blackbird" is a powerful piece that challenges the limits of understanding and forgiveness. This is theater
that matters.

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/stage/articles/2009/09/28/20090928bl...