Review: THE CALL at The Shedd Theater

In a play, it’s not always the words that move the audience. Sometimes it’s the pauses.

In THE CALL, which ran Jan. 22-25 at the Shedd Stage at the Columbus Performing Arts Center (549 Franklin Avenue in downtown Columbus), Columbus-based playwright Francesca DiFrancesco found a powerful balance of both. DiFrancesco and her five-person cast took its audience on a tumultuous, poignant 90-minute ride to the final curtain.

After the tragic death of his brother Greg (Jacob Erney), Danny Bowen (A.J. Breslin) locks himself away in a dingy apartment in McCall, Idaho. His isolated world is shaken when Mormon elder Calvin Sotherbe (Santigui Camara) knocks on his door. As Sotherbe abandons his attempt to convert him, Danny exposes his fractured relationships with Greg, his father Elson (Scott Willis), and his ex-girlfriend Deirdre Delphin (Anna Soppelsa).

On the tiny black box stage, THE CALL grips the audience immediately. A raw nature soundtrack plays as Danny stares blankly toward the audience. The three most important figures in his life sit in silent judgment behind him. That stillness speaks volumes.

The memory play explores the damage caused by society’s differing expectations of masculinity. Elson charges his son to “be a man” by indulging  in hunting and other “manly” activities. Deirdre later exhorts Danny to “be a man” by owning up to his actions. Although he doesn’t say it directly, Calvin offers a different model of manhood—one rooted in forgiveness.

“I believe that a little bit of forgiveness goes a long way,” Calvin tells Danny. “Forgiveness is a divine attribute you know.”

“Well, I’m no saint,” Danny retorts.

The chemistry between Breslin and Camara drives the drama. Breslin’s character is emotionally stunted when he is in the present tense but reveals a more dynamic side to his personality in his memories. Camara’s persona transitions from being a wide-eyed, naïve hostage at the beginning of the play to becoming Danny’s earnest, honest therapist by its end.

Willis, on the other hand, remains a constant throughout the play. Even when he is not speaking, Elson casts the glare of parental disapproval when Danny relives his actions. He’s haunting as a bully, denigrating his youngest son when he freezes during a deer hunt. On his deathbed, Elson finds a way to leave a lasting wound: “I always wondered why you never took the time to be a man. I always told you what was expected of you. Why did you never take it seriously?”

With his goofy smile and laid-back demeanor, Erney captures DiFrancesco’s vision of Greg. He is the counterbalance between Elson and Danny. He’s his father’s ideal of what a son should be. Yet, he has a nurturing relationship with Danny, bonding over beer and Nirvana and trying to undo the damage his father did.

Danny appears to envy his brother but is never jealous of him, saying “I looked at Greg and everything going for him and... I felt like I was missing something.”

Midway through the play, Danny discovers something that could possibly cover up the manhole in his soul. Deirdre is  a budding naturalist working towards her environmental studies degree. She accepts Danny for who he is -- until he becomes his father.

Soppelsa masterfully captures Deirdre’s flirtation with Danny as well as an initial reluctance to give herself to him entirely. She toys with her hair, stares penetratingly into his eyes, and uses her body positioning of being close and then keeping him at arm’s length. The audience sees that relationship grow and then bitterly dissolve when Danny can’t seem to shake off his inner demons. “I know my worth. I really do,” she tells Danny, staring angrily into his eyes. “You don’t.”

This breakup scene feels real, raw, and powerful. After it, theatergoers know Danny’s chances for redemption are fading fast.

Few things are left to chance in DiFrancesco’s script. The female lead is named Deirdre (deer drah as in the animal he is hunting). The cigarettes Danny has littered over his apartment are American Spirit (a nod to his father’s rugged individualism). Even Calvin’s socks have Christian symbols.

However, DiFrancesco’s work thrives in the quiet spaces. At times, the theater is so still you can hear the person next to you breathing.

“Don’t tell. Show,” Deirdre tells Danny in their breakup scene. “Men (are) always underestimating the fire of a woman and explaining the very phenomena that is right in front of them.”

DiFrancesco follows her own advice. Her script shows the audience, never underestimating them or “mansplaining” what is happening. Most of all, she trusts the silence she creates.