10/29/2024
Talkin
BROADWAY
Past Reviews
Regional Reviews: Las Vegas
The Minutes
A Public Fit Theatre Company
Review by Mary LaFrance
Jamey M. Clay, Jake Staley,
and Joseph D. Kucan
Photo by Nick Huff
In the midst of an excruciating election cycle, A Public Fit Theatre Company is offering the perfect catharsis in its feisty and disturbing production of Tracy Letts' The Minutes, a dark comedy/satire about the ugly secrets lurking below the surface of a seemingly mundane city council meeting in the town of Big Cherry, somewhere in the Great Plains. (Much praise is heaped on the high school football team, the Big Cherry Savages.) Letts' play was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, was nominated for the 2022 Tony Award for Best Play, and proved divisive with critics.
The Minutes starts off as a giggle-worthy parody of every dysfunctional committee meeting you've ever endured. However, the atmosphere gradually shifts as the council's newest member, Mr. Peel, a civic-minded recent transplant who missed his first meeting, persists in asking two questions: Why was Mr. Carp removed from his council position at that meeting, and where are the minutes of the meeting? Mayor Superba repeatedly deflects these questions, insisting that the council move on to agenda items involving the city's annual Founders Day celebration. However, when the council members bring Mr. Peel up to speed on the dramatic tale of nineteenth century military heroism that saved the inhabitants and secured the future of the town, this only serves to pique his curiosity. As he continues to press his questions, cracks in the founding tale emerge, the atmosphere becomes increasingly malevolent, and the play reaches its surreal and polarizing denouement.
The tonal shifts of The Minutes are both its strength and its potential downfall. However, in the hands of an outstanding directing duo, Ann-Marie Pereth and Joseph D. Kucan, the play's peculiar chemistry makes for lively, riveting, even shocking theatre. While audiences will be divided in their reactions to the final scenes, this is the stuff of great discussions. (And A Public Fit hosts just such a discussion, called "The Buzz," at the conclusion of every performance.) While a council meeting might seem like an essentially static affair, the play's structure incorporates a wild reenactment of the founding story, as well as a climactic flashback to Mr. Carp's unforgivable offense, both of which are beautifully executed here. Even the play's more discursive moments are fraught with physicality.
Each council member has a distinct personality, and the ensemble–a group of versatile, veteran performers–inhabit their roles with conviction. Replicating the stereotypical civic chamber, the council members' desks span the entire width of the stage, and even when the main action involves the members on one side, it is hard not to steal a look at how the others are passing the time–applying makeup, arranging prescription bottles, flossing their teeth, or squinting at print too small to read. While it is difficult to single out specific performers in such a strong ensemble, several performances are especially noteworthy. Joe Basso, in particular, creates a true "mike drop" moment in his brief stage time as the unfortunate Mr. Carp. As the elderly and crotchety Mr. Oldfield, John Allen is frighteningly real and remarkably funny. Chameleon-like Jamey M. Clay disappears into every role he plays, and his Mr. Blake is no exception, as the cockerel who butts heads with Jake Staley's vote-trading Mr. Hanratty in the battle for supremacy of their respective pet projects.
The set and props (by Eric A. Koger and Diane Walton, respectively) ably capture the feel of a small city's council chamber, from the bland farmland mural in the background to the Keurig coffee station at the side and the identical tissue boxes placed precisely midway between each council member. Lighting designer Johanna Caley creates an ominous mood with flickering lights and near-blackouts from a local power grid that shows its age, and she provides stunning illumination for Mr. Carp's big reveal.
With deeply committed performers and an incisive creative team, it is hard to imagine Tracy Letts' play receiving a better or more biting production. At a time when public schools are prohibited from teaching historical facts, and books recounting those histories are being removed from school libraries, The Minutes is as timely today as when it first premiered.
The Minutes runs through November 18, 2024, at the SST Studio Theater, 4340 S. Valley View Blvd., Suite 210, Las Vegas NV. Performances are Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7 pm, Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets $35-45. For tickets and information, please visit www.apublicfit.org.
Cast:
Mr. Peel: Andrew Calvert
Mayor Superba: Timothy Cummings
Ms. Johnson: Jamie Carvelli
Mr. Blake: Jamey M. Clay
Mr. Breeding: Brian David Sloan
Mr. Hanratty: Jake Staley
Mr. Assalone: Joseph D. Kucan
Ms. Innes: Valerie Carpenter Bernstein
Ms. Matz: Jenny Fox
Mr. Oldfield: John Allen
Mr. Carp: Joe Basso
Additional Creatives:
Costume Designer: Kendra Faith
Sound Designer: Arles Estes
