Review: MEET ME AT DAWN at The Marcelle Theater

Upstream Theater is having an existential crisis. Meet Me At Dawn, the finale of the company’s 20th season is an intense rumination on reality and grief that plays games with the concept of reality.

Directed by Larissa Lury, the production is based on Scottish playwright Zinny Harris’ one-act play. Meet Me At Dawn borrows heavily from the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Set on a mysterious island where reality and illusion merge, the drama features ferocious anguish mixed with lively humor and uplifting moments of love.

A boating accident tosses Helen and Robyn, a couple with opposing personalities overboard. Thrown into the sea, they fend off drowning and land on an uninhabited island.

Bewildered by their surroundings, they attempt to make sense of their surroundings. Wondering if they are in a dream, concussed, or experiencing something else, they begin to piece together what led them ashore.

Encountering a strange woman who only repeats the questions they ask her; their angst-ridden tumult dives deeper and deeper into self-reflection as they reconsider the state of their relationship.

The dynamics between the two become more tenuous as they investigate their surroundings. Despite their contrasting personalities (Robyn is anxious and orderly while Helen is snarky and carefree), the marooned couple persevere as they navigate the shadows of the island.

This uncertainty of place and surroundings and the emotions attached to them impel the magnificent performances of Michelle Hand and Lizi Watt. Both powerhouse St. Louis actors give shining performances with perfect onstage execution.

Watt’s Robyn is a nervous wreck. Traumatized and bewildered by the events around her, Watt gives her a stubborn vulnerability that plays well with her co-star. Her portrayal of a woman confronting profound grief is powerful.

Hand, making her Upstream debut, provides most of the production’s lighter moments. As Helen, she delivers a character study in confidence and grace under pressure. Often shouldering the brunt of Robyn’s trauma, her character is relentlessly optimistic. As the plot unfolds, she takes the role to new landscapes, as Helen becomes more unnerved. Alternating between comedy and tragedy, she is sublime in this role.

Anyone who loves seeing talented actors give a clinic on the craft will love Meet Me At Dawn. The play’s mythological framework holds textures of emotions that captivate audiences. Personal tension, loss, love, and denial percolate in Larissa Lury’s excellent grief stew.

Meet Me At Dawn is poignant theater at its finest. This is a must-see production with two local performers at the top of their game.