Andrew Ribner/Food Editor
This weekend, Brett Keating ’15 and the cast of “Gruesome Playground Injuries” will bring both the innocence of childhood and the aches of adulthood to the Wesleyan stage through an exploration of both physical and emotional pain.
“Gruesome Playground Injuries” was not Keating’s first choice when he decided to direct this semester. The director originally intended to put on the play “Almost, Maine,” a compilation of whimsical love stories. He held auditions, but right before callbacks, Keating received news that they were unable to obtain the rights. By the end of the weekend, the actors who originally auditioned for “Almost, Maine” were cast in “Gruesome Playground Injuries.”
“[The audition process] was crazy, but it worked out so well,” Keating said. “I’m so happy. I think it’s turned out so much better than ‘Almost, Maine’ would have. Maybe not better, but I’m in love with this piece.”
The play tells the story of Kayleen and Doug and their complex friendship. Each scene visits the two in different stages of their lives, but not in chronological order. Their relationship is constructed in the play through vignettes of instances when either one or both of them is in physical pain. The responses to each other’s physical injuries reflect their relationship and emotional attachment to each other at that point in time, allowing the audience to piece together the evolution of their friendship by the end of the play.
The play is usually performed by two actors, but Keating added his own twist by casting eight talented actors to portray Kayleen and Doug in their different ages. Willa Beckman ’15, Reiss Clauson-Wolf ’13, Ali Goldberg ’15, Sara Guernsey ’15, Philip Halin ’15, Mark Popinchalk ’13, Linsin Smith ’16, and Richie Starzec ’14 collectively bring an already well-written script to new heights. The task of keeping the core traits of Kayleen and Doug consistent while also portraying them in different life stages is unbelievably difficult, and the cast’s success is even more impressive due to the relatively short amount of rehearsal time it had compared to that of other Second Stage shows this semester.
While Keating’s creative touches to the performance of the play and the actors’ impressive intuition is what makes “Gruesome Playground Injuries” a must-see, the script itself is an extraordinary piece. The dialogue is incredibly appropriate for each age and carefully unveils Kayleen and Doug’s relationship in a slow but compelling fashion, such that by the end of the play you feel an intimate connection to them as not just characters but as real people.
“There are so many tired love stories, and this is so far removed from that because it doesn’t really identify itself as a love story,” Keating said.
It is impossible to leave “Gruesome Playground Injuries” without being sincerely moved and feeling strong emotion, whether it be a personal connection to the characters and their story or simply awe for the actors in their amazing performance. “Gruesome Playground Injuries” is not to be missed and will certainly be a stellar start to this theater season.
“Gruesome Playground Injuries” will go up in the ’92 Theater this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Box Office in Usdan on the day of each performance.