At Pioneer Theatre Company’s world-premiere production of Touch(ed), I couldn’t help but notice the degree to which my fellow theater-goers were invested. Typically, my enjoyment of a show is largely independent of the experience of those around me; I’m stubborn like that. This time, though, I was along for the ride with the entire house; communal concentration part of the air like a constituent gas.
And rightly so. Touch(ed) is the rare production that feels almost entirely real. It deals with familiar theatrical themes of family, (in)sanity and the nature of art in its tale of Kay (Jennifer Joan Thompson) caring for her schizophrenic sister Emma (Kelly Hutchinson), but handles them in genuinely fresh and interesting ways.
Sometimes at stage productions, I feel like I’m watching puppets who are merely mouthing aspects of the playwright’s psyche or embodying pet peeves, archetypes and prejudices. In Touch(ed), however, the characters, are fleshedout humans who are surprising and self-contradictory in believable ways. Even when the story ends up somewhere predictable, playwright Bess Wohl brings us there by a circuitous route. The characters don’t do and say things necessary to reach the preordained outcome; they come to logical, if familiar, conclusions based on their beliefs, traits and experiences.
The glaring exception to this meticulous reality is the character of the doctor (Dennis Parlato). Relegated to mercifully few minutes on stage and acting merely as a sounding board for Kay, his presence and portrayal add little to nothing to an otherwise excellent production.
You should go see it—and share the audience’s experience—anyway.
Touch(ed) @ Pioneer Theatre Company, 300 S. 1400 East, 801-581-6961, through Jan. 23. PioneerTheatre.org
Speaking of The Essentials
-
Brandon Mull: Beyonders
Thursday April 14 @ The King’s English Bookshop
- Apr 14, 2011
-
The Perfect Fit
Through April 3 @ Kimball Art Center
- Mar 31, 2011
-
Utah St. Patrick's Day Celebrations
On Saturday, March 12, the Hibernian Society of Utah's traditional Salt Lake City downtown St. Patrick's Day parade winds through the Gateway from 400 West and 200 North beginning at 10 a.m. ...
- Mar 11, 2011
- More »
More by Rob Tennant
-
Jingle Plays
Two theater companies present family-friendly holiday productions.
- Dec 10, 2013
-
Review: Pioneer Theatre Company's Other Desert Cities
If Pioneer Theatre Company’s Other Desert Cities were one of your co-workers, it would be that guy down the hall who’s name is probably Jim, but you’re not sure enough to actually call him that out loud
- Oct 29, 2013
-
Rent @ Utah Repertory Theater
Review: Small-scale production muddles the modern classic
- Sep 24, 2013
- More »
Latest in Entertainment Picks
Readers also liked…
-
THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR MAR 14 - 20
St. Patrick's Day, Bored Teachers Comedy Tour, Downy Doxey-Marshall: Bloom and Laura Sharp Wilson: Gilding the Lily: A Choreography , and more.
- Mar 13, 2024
