Review: LE BAL at Trap Door Theatre

Trap Door Theatre completes its 32nd season with the newly devised production of LE BAL. Inspired by Ettore Scola’s 1983 Italian-Franco-Algerian film, which traces Parisian history from 1936 to 1983 through music and dance, Trap Door Theatre reimagines the concept through the lens of American history, spanning the 1920s to the present day. The result is an inventive performance exploring both triumphant and dark moments of the American experience, leaving audiences to question how much society has truly changed.

Led by guest director Stephen Buescher, LE BAL is devised and performed by some of the company’s favorite ensemble members and newcomers to Trap Door Theatre – Dan Cobbler, Geneiveve Corkery, Cat Evans, Emily Nichelson, Gus Thomas, Jasz Ward and Carl Wisniewski. Well-known U.S. events are presented on stage – such as the Great Depression, WWII, labor strikes, Black Lives Matter movement, women’s marches, unemployment, epidemics, and school shootings. Emotions are raw and movement is actively surreal with choreography by the ensemble, assistant director Miguel Long and Buescher. 

Each performer presents high energy throughout the eighty-minute performance. Praise must be given to Ward making her Trap Door debut. From moments of wide-eyed innocence in the opening number, to high-kicking dances in a nightclub scene, their performance is fueled by dynamic vigor.

LE BAL's creative team brilliantly brings the same expressionist energy to the stage that Trap Door Theatre’s performers embody so powerfully. Merje Veski’s mesmerizing scenic design, enhanced by David Lovejoy’s inventive props, transforms the space into a constantly evolving visual world, with each object woven seamlessly into the ensemble’s movement and storytelling. Rachel Sypniewski’s costumes and Syd Genco’s makeup are strikingly avant-garde and almost otherworldly, filling the intimate theatre with glamour and surreal beauty.

From the booth, stage manager Taylor Mercado Owen skillfully coordinates Danny Rockett’s sound design and Richard Norwood’s lighting, sharpening the production’s emotional atmosphere and thematic intensity. Together, these visual and technical elements immerse the audience in the intoxicating glamour and exuberance of LE BAL, making the production feel like an ongoing celebration. That sense of joy, however, makes the show’s darker moments — racism, police violence, inequality, and political corruption — land with devastating force, jolting the audience like a bucket of cold water.

As a compelling addition to Trap Door Theatre’s repertoire, LE BAL powerfully fulfills the company’s mission of challenging social norms while fostering meaningful engagement between performers and audience members. The production resonates deeply with 21st-century American audiences, prompting urgent reflection on the social and political issues that continue to persist today. Rather than simply revisiting the past, LE BAL asks viewers to confront why these patterns remain unchanged and challenges them to consider their role in creating a more equitable future.

LE BAL performs until June 20th. For more information about Trap Door Theatre, visit the organization’s official website.

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