Review: CRYSTAL CREEK MOTEL at Flying V Theatre

When staying in a hotel I'll remind myself of all the people who have been there before me. I do the same thing while standing upon places such as a historical sites or stages and think of those of whom I am walking in the footsteps. Hotel rooms however have never seemed to fill me with the same wonder and pride in imagining the residents before me. The feeling I experience is discomfort accompanied by an uncertainty as to what these thousands of mystery individuals had done in the privacy of their hotel rooms.

This is the story of Flying V's Crystal Creek Motel, the audience gains an insider look as to those who pass through their hotel rooms before they do. Each vignette in the play is a month of the year and there are 12 vignettes to account for every month of the year. Each vignette does a good job of painting a picture of its character's circumstances in that very moment, and each scene does a good job of capturing the drama that goes on in hotel rooms. The entirety of the play takes place in the year 2003. I do not understand the significance of the year but nonetheless it paved the way for a good soundtrack and some interesting clothing I have not seen in a while.

Looking through the program It is not clear as to who actually wrote the play. Lee Liebeskind worked as the showrunner and it seems he made the vision come to fruition. The first act (or first six months) is largely compiled of scenes that tell their stories largely through dance, and/or pantomiming action. Tiffanie Horner who worked as the choreographer did a great job of expressing how people interact when they are alone together. Jonathan Ezra Rubin who was the fight and intimacy director did a great job with his scenes as well. Each scene in the first act is such a joy to watch as they are so beautifully staged. The second act has scenes that are rooted largely in dialog and these are where a lot of the comedy and sweeter moments of the play can be found. It also seemed to focus more on groups of people sharing a space together rather than in the first act which seemed to focus more on individuals and their relationships with one another.

Flying V Theatre's Crystal Creek Motel, is showing until Saturday, November 2, 2019, at The Silver Spring Black Box Theater, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm, Saturday Matinees at 2 pm, Sunday Matinees at 4 pm, Industry nights are Monday 10/21 and 10/28 at 8 pm. You can purchase tickets online.