Séance 4
Planet Ant Theatre’s late-night series is a platform for offbeat one-act plays and emerging comedy troupes, but it’s also a ready-made spotlight for its own Home Team of improvisers. Despite the implied sequel in its title, original comedy Séance 4 needs no introduction. Conceived and written by its ensemble cast and directed by Lauren Bickers, this gathering of oddballs is less a scary Halloween story and more a vehicle for exquisite character play among longtime teammates.
Other than excusing any limpness or watering down in its story, the script itself doesn’t explore the meta humor of the played-out repetition of a horror series. Instead, the plot is a stand-alone tale of four cul-de-sac buddies who gather for a half-serious trek into the unknown. Tender-butch Tina (Cara Trautman) wants to contact her years-passed paramour, downtrodden Trent (Michael Hovitch) needs a distraction from his recent divorce, nonbeliever Jane (Dyan Bailey) is as pleased about the choice of activity as she is about the dog doo haunting the neighborhood, and profoundly distinctive Colleen (Tara Rase) will try anything once as long as there are snacks. With a Ouija board at the center of the action, the play progresses and meanders in expected and unexpected ways, balancing supernatural surprises with superb character choices. Even the use of iconic material lifted wholesale from its source works here, demonstrating the effectiveness of homage when filtered through an original lens.
Bickers and cast clearly understand the material is only as strong as the characters, and none disappoints. Trautman’s tough but damaged ‘roid-y basket case fills her emotional vocabulary with grunts and flexes. Hovitch captures the hopeless anguish of a man who seems to be contemplating swallowing his own teeth in order to take his mind off larger pains. An Apple gadget obsession and rampant cynicism give Bailey a hard outsider perspective that adds complexity to the interactions until she too is pulled in. But the greatest accomplishment is Rase’s, layering oblivion and subtle pride onto what would have otherwise been the saddest of sacks; the big laughs she earns come from the character’s fullness just as much as her weirdness.
The production’s hilarity is boosted by a collection of part spooky, part wacky effects arising from unanticipated sources. The heavily foreshadowed appearance of a recently deceased neighbor still manages to surprise in its bright manifestation, and other reveals are too unexpected and clever to spoil in a review. Even so, the production doesn’t concern itself with reinventing the wheel when it comes to suspense; well-utilized red lighting is as effective as it ever was, and slyly disturbing sound design by Bailey and assistant director/stage manager Sean McGettigan adds punch to a fine genre-honoring score by Scott Sanford.
Happily, Séance 4 doesn’t need any predecessor to deliver a solid comedy with some paranormal intrigue slipped in. Delightful interplay and a largely straightforward story are bolstered by a strong foundation of character that earns big laughs in its big devices and small gestures alike. Bickers and company clearly understand how to get in and check out with an optimally high density of humor, causing this slick production to positively gambol through its forty-some-minute running time and deliver maximum comic satisfaction in the offing.
November 4, 2011