Review: THE OTHER PLACE Incites Heart Ache

Anyone who has ever cared deeply for someone and subsequently feared for the worst, when it comes to their well-being, will have all of those intense emotions called forth when seeing Sharr White's The Other Place at the South Bend Civic Theatre. The Other Place, which opened May 13th, will utterly devastate you not only with White's deeply emotional script, but with the astonishing production put on by SBCT and director Aaron Nichols.

The play is about a woman called Juliana, who breaks the fourth wall from the very beginning by explaining to the audience her "episode" that she had at a neurological convention where she was giving a speech (she is a successful drug-company scientist). The play also takes place in real time, where we see her life fall apart after her "episode." The story that unfolds between Juliana and her husband Ian, takes each audience member on a roller coaster of emotions, ranging from the humorous to the utterly dark.

Melissa Manier, who plays Juliana, and Roy Bronkema, who plays Ian, are the two main reasons to go see the show. Manier, while taking a few scenes to seemingly warm up to her character and performance (there were line flubs, volume issues, and the start of an out-of-order scene), ultimately grew into Juliana and gracefully portrayed the complexities of a person who is literally losing their mind, but doesn't believe so. Manier performed the intricate range of emotions naturally, and for a while had me believing that everything she was seeing or experiencing was true, and it really was everyone else but her. Manier was authentic, personable, and the subtleties of her change in character over-time is what made her performance both tragic and hopeful. Bronkema played the ever doting husband with the enormous task of loving someone who is not themselves. He is the unequivocal star of the production, setting the pace as the normal and sane partner who is also in over their head. Bronkema's gift for an emotional palette is astonishing as there is never any question as to what he is feeling on stage. His portrayal will have you quietly fearing that we could one day be Ian since his depiction is so raw and vulnerable that this must actually be what it's like to watch your loved ones suffer.

Besides stunning performances, the set and lighting design for the production is past charming. While simplistic in nature, there are impressive touches that make it special; the sounds of waves, lights that seem like water slowly moving, and three devices that release a trickle of sand before the play begins, create a unique ambiance that almost feels surreal.

The Other Place plays through the rest of the weekend at the South Bend Civic Theatre. If you are looking for devastating but equally heartening entertainment, try to catch the last few shows and prepare to be stunned.

Photo Credit: Jon Gilchrist

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