Review: Strawshop's 9 CIRCLES Elicits Powerful Emotions on War

Sometimes you go to a show and you see what can only be described as a "Star Turn". That performance that shows just how amazing an actor is. But what do you call it when you see it over and over again? Lately I call it Conner Neddersen as, just like his previous stellar performances, his performance in Strawberry Theatre Workshop's current production of "9 Circles" shows off once again just how fine of an actor he is and how he keeps growing better and better with each role.

But before I get back to extolling the virtues of Neddersen let's talk about the show. Written by the amazing Bill Cain whose play "Equivocation" blew audiences away a few years back, "9 Circles" is a takeoff on Dante's "Inferno" as we examine PFC Daniel Edward Reeves (Neddersen) who's having to deal with a tragic incident from his tour in the Iraq war both emotionally and legally. Throughout the evening Edwards confers with other soldiers, lawyers, therapists and a priest (all played by Norah Elges, Sam Hagen, and Sylvester Kamara) as he works through exactly what happened that led him to his current state and how he really feels about it.

Obviously I don't want to give too much away but I can say that just like with his other works, Cain manages to dive right to the heart of an issue without getting too preachy or condescending. This play does tend to drone on a little bit but each conversation still manages to engage and dole out beautifully just one more helping of information until we have the whole story. And thanks to some wonderful pacing and direction from Greg Carter the flow of the show never waivers through all the highs and lows.

But in a show like this where it's all talk it comes down to the actors to pull it off. The trio of ensemble actors turns in some fine performances each with very different characters eliciting very different aspects of the situation. I especially want to call out Kamara who gave us a likable and confident lawyer one minute only to turn around and give us a mysterious and borderline creepy priest the next. But it's Neddersen who has the bulk of the show as the character around which all the other characters revolve and he dives into this difficult and emotionally raw role and holds nothing back. His thoughtfulness, focus and intention at each and every moment is crystal clear making the end result incredibly powerful with a final scene that goes beyond intense and into the realm of a collective gut punch to the audience. A few years back I called out Neddersen as a person to watch and he has never ceased to live up to that.

So basically what we have is a stirring show made that much better by a performance that is sure to stand out as one of the best of the year. And so with my three letter rating system I give "9 Circles" an emotionally affected and impressed YAY+. This is one performance you don't want to miss.

"9 Circles" from Strawberry Theatre Workshop performs at 12th Avenue Arts through June 25th. For tickets or information visit them online at www.strawshop.org.