I’m a sucker for a good thriller. Plot twists, done well, also fill me with glee.
“Fear” currently playing Off Broadway, left me wanting more.
The description sounded cool, but I was left unsatisfied.
Phil (Enrico Colantoni) enters a shed in the woods pushing in a teenage boy. Jamie (Alexander Garfin) is subjected to harsh treatment, before Phil ties him to a chair.
An 8-year-old girl has gone missing and Phil is convinced Jamie is involved with her disappearance.
Phil gets more aggressive with his questioning when Ethan (Obi Abili) enters the scene. He is disgusted by what he sees, but he has no cell phone reception or any way to report what he has stumbled upon.
Phil conveniently has cell phone reception and is able to take phone calls often. For whatever reason he leaves Ethan alone with Jamie during these phone calls.
Ethan is book smart, but not smart otherwise as he is unable to untie Jamie from the chair. He also doesn’t look for anything that can cut the rope even though they’re in a shed.
The play’s main conflict revolves around Ethan as he has to choose who to believe. Phil and Jaime give him conflicting stories and it’s unclear who is the unreliable one.
The premise of the play had potential. I was excited to see this until I realized that the playwright had also written another show I didn’t enjoy titled “Actually, we’re f*cked”.
The audience, along with Ethan, must figure out if Jamie is as misunderstood as he claims to be or if Phil knows more about the kid than he lets on.
Garfin does a masterful job of winning the audience’s sympathy.
The main problems arise from the adult characters as they seem more like caricatures rather than three dimensional characters.
The technical aspects of the show are great, though.
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