BWW Reviews: Denise O'Neal's JUST A FEW FEET AWAY is Thrilling

JUST A FEW FEET AWAY makes its second appearance on the Houston theatre scene. It was written, produced and directed here originally in 2010 by Denise O'Neal. Fours years later she's back with her ensemble drama, as WMGE, LLC has teamed up with the Obsidian Art Space to present Houston with a riveting revival.

What do a police officer, fatigued truck driver, a candid teen, Big-head CFO, brainy geoscientist, jilted wife, exotic salsa instructor, cheating wife, undercover informant, a dubious doctor, a protective daughter and a gratified aunt have in common? You'll have to go see Ms. O'Neal's play to find out. JUST A FEW FEET AWAY is one of those stories that reminds people just how interconnected our lives really are.

Centering on a world renowned geoscientist, who is the first man to with the knowledge and ability to successfully journey to the center of the Earth's core, the drama involves scandal, cheating and mystery. Through a series of monologues, action shifts between 12 various characters, whose lives unknowingly intersect with each other in unpredictable ways as each handles their own moral dilemmas, and tries to cope with the consequences of their resulting decision made or action taken. As the various story lines head toward a striking conclusion, the audience is taken on the ultimate journey.

Unfortunately telling too much of the plot will is an immense spoiler for this show. Going in with almost no knowledge of what's going to happen more than half the fun. That being said, I can tell you that the entire cast delivers top notch performances as they maneuver their characters through such a tangled web. So fine are the performances that it is nearly impossible to single any one out. However there are a few which are especially moving.

Vincent Victoria's handling of John, the enigmatic geoscientist at the center of it all, is superb. Victoria brings John and all of his fervor to life. In the opening scene, he nails the part of a scientist so completely devoted and faithful to his work that he regards everything else in second place. His facial expressions are so diverse and intense as he adulates on his love of the Earth that he could be the male version of Kerry Washington. In the closing scene, he still graces us with his fervor, but there's something off kilter about him and he has transformed into more of a mad scientist type than enigmatic at the beginning. His monologue is written like it were poetry and he brings the words to life with a fluttery hyper-intensity that will rock the audience members to their core.

Carl Payne is plays Tom the aforementioned big-headed CEO. He's boisterously loud and seems to think that the world owes him something. He bleeds confidence, but perhaps he is too confident because his world gets turned upside down. When this happens Tom becomes outraged and Payne brings on a passionate outrage but even during this moment, the audience can glimpse the vulnerability that is underneath his anger and rage. One of the most intriguing scenes in the show involves him in sort of a reverse transformation.

Tonyai Palmer plays the stately yet jilted wife Sarah. She is introduced sitting upon a chair that is throne-like in nature and as she begins the diatribe about her life one can't help but to be sucked in by her interesting vocal choices between the "old" and the "new" her. Her monologue unveils her rise, her downfall, and her rebirth. It's hard to look away. She commands attention and it's hard to ever think that the person sitting in front of you has ever had a downfall.

Another noteworthy performance is delivered by Nate Jones. He plays Larry, a man who plays an undercover informant with an interesting persona as a gay man. His role is actually one of the lighter and funnier parts of the play and he plays it with such conviction that easily generate the laughs. He flawlessly switches between his 2 personas and delivers flamboyant and hardy mannerisms.

Commendably Matt Hudson pulled off a wonderfully gritty voiced, tension filled performance of Craig the truck driver. Watching him vent his life's frustrations is powerful enough to make one reminiscent of a way we've all felt before as he seems remarkably real in that moment. On the flip side, Hudson also later aptly pulls off another character as the incredulous doctor. Two characters several worlds apart, it was almost impossible to tell that it was the same person.

Ms. Denise O'Neal struck gold with the revival of her play JUST A FEW FEET AWAY. Her writing and material are truly poetic and is the kind of stuff that any actor would jump at the chance to bring it to life. Perhaps that is why there's such a great performance from every actor, involving the 12 characters as they deal with the chaos and unpredictability of life. I can't include them all, but I can tell you that when intermission came there was a collective groan from the audience because of the interruption. If that doesn't clue you in on how tantalizing this show is, both with story and talent, then I don't know what will. This production took me on a thrilling and suspenseful ride in my seat. If you weren't able to catch it before its final performance, then hopefully you'll tune in for its next time around. Until then, check out this interview with with the playwright herself, where she gives a snippet of what may be in store for 2015.

JUST A FEW FEET AWAY was presented at Obsidian Art Space Setember 4-20. For more information on Ms. O'Neal and please visit http://www.mslilysgroove.com/JAFFA.html

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