Review: DARK MATTERS at Union Avenue Christian Church

West End Players Guild is closing out their 2023-24 Season with a haunting supernatural extra-terrestrial tale. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's DARK MATTERS is a story of alien abduction in the remote mountains of Virginia. Michael and Bridget Cleary live with their 16-year-old son Jermey on the outskirts of a small town. Early one afternoon, Bridget leaves home to run errands and doesn’t return for days. What happened to Bridget is a mystery and Michael reaches out to the town sheriff to file a missing person report and asks for help finding his wife.  

The script for DARK MATTERS is one that leaves it open to directorial interpretation. Is it an alien abduction story? A story of infidelity and an unhappy marriage? The story of lifelong encounters with aliens? Or the story of a husband who is descending into a nervous breakdown? Aguirre-Sacasa's mediocre script is slightly creepy, but it never really descends into the goosebump inducing eeriness that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.  

Director Karen Peirce focuses this production on Michael Cleary’s (Joseph Garner) emotional meltdown. Michael is completely unable to rationalize his wife Bridget’s (Suki Peters) lifelong infatuation with alien encounters. Her recent disappearance pushes him over the edge, and he starts to lose control. Peirce’s script interpretation certainly makes the supernatural sci-fi part of the story believable, but her fixation on Michael’s reaction keeps the story grounded in earthly reality and gives her actors the opportunity to rise above a so-so script.  

Casting Joseph Garner in any role that requires an actor to express anxiety, distress, and rage is an excellent decision. He is a marvel to watch as his emotional state goes from concerned husband to angry father, then he slowly loses all ability to cope with the implausible reality that his wife is communicating with aliens. Garner’s performance is absorbing as he internalizes Michael’s mental collapse. You can hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes and gestures. By the end of the second act, Garner physically embodies a man who has lost control of his mind. 

As Bridget, Suki Peters’ calm presence further exacerbates her husband’s inability to cope. Her matter-of-fact demeanor about her lifelong encounters with life from outer space makes it completely conceivable that she regularly communicates with alien visitors. She creates Bridget as a thoughtful and planful mother who is unafraid of aliens and can provide her family with protection from a potential alien threat. Her Bridget is a believably sane woman and the perfect juxtaposition to Michael’s madness.  

The cast is rounded out with Ben Richie as Sheriff Benjamin Eagan and Cory Burke as the Cleary’s son Jeremy. Richie portrays Eagan as a stalwart sheriff who seems to be trustworthy. His characterization is just askew enough for the audience to question whether he is a human or a part of the alien force. It's that nuance in his performance that adds a little extra creepiness to the tale. Burke does satisfactory work as Jeremy, but his lack of experience shows among this proficient and accomplished cast.  

Garner, Peters, and Richie’s performances all elevate a passable script that doesn’t quite reach the level of a disquieting and distrubing story. Pierce’s directorial choice makes the production worth recommending, however go with the expectations that the aliens never materialize to create a chilling other worldly ghost story.  

The West End Players Guild production of DARK MATTERS runs through April 14th. Click the link below for tickets.

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