REEL TO REEL – Rogue Machine
Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
What can be created on the stage in only six weeks of rehearsal usually doesn’t surprise me, but with this production, I am not sure how or even if everything could have been created within such a time frame!
When I see a Rogue Machine show, I know I will be seeing an exciting production.
There are four actors on the stage who have no break at all. While a couple of them are downstage doing one scene, there is another scene going on upstage with another couple, plus the sound effects. The stage is cleverly divided by the sliding doors, which create a window or two, a door or two, and with a transparent curtain behind, revealing all the action upstage of the stage, where mostly the 5thactor – foleys take place. They have seven mics, and all the sounds were created live onstage. The actors did not see the set design until just ten days before the opening of the show, which gave them little time to position each scene and comfortably do them. But everything flows with such ease and smoothness, like they’ve been rehearsing there since the beginning.
Sound effects are my passion. What fun it is to watch them being created right in front of us – on the stage, from a washing machine cycling to galloping of the horses, from singing alive as the music is coming from the record player to the sound of stirring the tea with a spoon. So much creativity and talent are being displayed. Figuring out those foleys takes time, not to mention the concentration it takes for remembering the dialogues and rehearsing the movements for each scene. I truly cannot grasp how they managed all of that.
Every single moment in Reel to Reel is perfect. And everything comes back to the incredible writing by John Kolvenbach. In this interpersonal relationship, young Maggie Spoon at age 27, portrayed by Samantha ‘Sami’ Klein, knows unquestionably that she wants to live with this man that she met at a party (she’s been waiting for him all her life). Meet Walter Harp 27, portrayed by Brett Aune, who is confused at first but eventually finds a way to recognize and embrace true love.
At the twilight of their happy union, after 55-years of marriage, older Maggie portrayed by Alley Mills Bean, and older Walter portrayed by Jim Ortlieb, have a very touching and emotional scene during Walter’s monologue at the end of the play. The mics are brought out, Maggie is close to him, as always, while the precious moments are looked upon within the sweet sentiments of life’s memories that were earned over decades. All four actors deserve huge applause. What talent and dedication!
The super-talented director Matt McCray followed the direction of the writer who said, “You have freedom to explore” – so he took off with the project, creating an unforgettable production, sharing a story of true love. McCray mentioned in his director’s note, “The lives of Maggie and Walter are explored while the characters create foley sound effects seen by the audience. These moments of sonic theatricality become a sound record of their shared lives, and in doing so, their younger and older selves undergo a real-time sound project that unearths the past and future. Sound carries memory across time like the forward and backward motion of a reel-to-reel player.”
The creatives are Jeff Gardner (Sound and Foley Design), Evan Bartoletti (Scenic Design), Azra King-Abadi (Lighting Design), Vicki Conrad (Costume Design), Nicole Bernardini (Prop Design/Foley Design), Grant Gerrard (Technical Director), Brett Aune (Producer), Michelle Hanzelova-Bierbauer (Producer), Ivan Rivas (Associate Producer). Brilliant work!
Blending humor, tenderness, and emotional complexity, this play is uniquely theatrical. Every sound provides a foley backdrop for the production and explores how memory and love are shaped by the sounds that surround us. There are hardly words to express how wonderful the actors were, the sounds, the lights, the music, the set created. Every moment is so full and so worth seeing and experiencing. Highly, highly recommended!
Reel to Reel runs at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays; 2pm Sundays through August 23 at Rogue Machine in the Matrix Theatre, located at 7657 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046. Tickets are $45. General Admission for seniors is $35. Shows4Less on August 1, and 15 ($25). Run time is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Contains adult language. Viewer discretion is advised.
Make a reservation at https://www.roguemachinetheatre.org or call 855-585-5185.
Social Media: Instagram: @RogueMachineTheatre
Facebook: @RogueMachineTheatre