BWW Reviews: Hub's Production of CARRIED AWAY ON THE CREST OF A WAVE is Ultimately Powerful

In light of the recent major natural disaster impacting the Philippines, it is perhaps even timelier for the small, but ambitious Hub Theatre in Fairfax to stage the American premiere of David Yee's Carried Away on the Crest of a Wave. Focusing on the power of human interconnectivity, particularly in times of turmoil, it offers a series of vignettes providing insight on how we respond in times when the unthinkable happens - for example, a tsunami hits the already overwhelmed Southeast Asian region. It suggests what can happen when we experience more loss than we once thought was even possible.

Solid acting of an ultimately compelling script, with adequate direction from Hub's Artistic Director Helen Pafumi, and several nice design elements make this production worthy of some notice. Still, several relatively major challenges within Yee's script make it impossible for this offering to be one that's highly, highly recommended.

So let me address one thing. As an international affairs junkie that happens to find human behavior in times of major tragedy to be something really interesting to study, I decided to make the trek out to Hub to check out this production. As such, while I can appreciate Yee's decision from a theatrical perspective to offer a series of fragmented snapshots of people reeling from and dealing (or not dealing) with unfortunate events that are (in some way) tied together, I found the entire structure of the play made it harder for me to become emotionally invested in the proceedings.

The lack of fully-fleshed-out characters (with few exceptions - more on those later) - while useful in helping the audience see the 'everyman' in the stories that unfold - hinder what I believe is a crucial understanding of where people are coming from and why they do what they do in the situations they encounter. Without the 'backstories' it can be difficult to care what happens to them.

Likewise, while there is some attention to time and place of the various stories - particularly the one in which a Muslim architect examines a basilica following a tsunami to determine if the fact that it was 'spared' was the result of luck, science, a miracle, or some combination thereof, and another in which a Burmese man who was at sea during a tsunami ponders how he made it to Thailand - Yee would benefit, to my mind, in bringing out some more of the socio-political, and cultural peculiarities that influence how one in a specific part of the world might respond to a natural disaster. This, when combined with more universal assessments of human behavior, could have allowed for a richer set of complex stories to unfold.

Of the various vignettes that Yee shares, four are the most compelling in this regard. The exchanges between a priest (Ryan Sellers) and the aforementioned Muslim architect (Andrew Ferlo) to determine why a basilica survived the wrath of the storm along with exchanges between a disaster warning expert (Ryan Sellers) and a Burmese transplant to Thailand (Andrew Ferlo) on a beach prove the most nuanced and less sledgehammer-like as to how one's particular station in life impacts responses to tragedy. An exchange between a radio host (Ed Christian), his sidekick (Andrew Ferlo), and a radio 'corporate' employee (Rafael Sebastian Medina) adds a sense of sardonic humor to the ultimately morose play and draws attention to the perhaps less-than-ideal way the West responds to natural disasters in developing nations - both in terms of governments and the general populace. An unlikely and surprising visit from a FBI agent (Ed Christian) to the home of a grieving mother (Nora Achrati) in the United States who was in Thailand during a tsunami provide a touching reminder about the secondary consequences and challenges that such an experience can bring.

Despite my problems with the script, the universally strong and committed cast of six - five of whom take on multiple roles - is reason enough to check out this challenging show.

Nora Achrati proves adept at handling a range of emotions in all of the characters she plays and brings a grounded realism to each vignette, even those which incorporate fantastical elements. Her standout moment comes as the grieving mother displaying a range of conflicting emotions.

Rafael Sebastian Medina and Andrew Ferlo show off their versatility in every vignette and their charismatic, strong stage presences prove to be a major asset to the production. Young and very cute Hedy Hosford's portrayal of a young orphan girl is ultimately also memorable. She engages extraordinarily well with the older members in the cast and gives a non-cloying acting performance that defies her age.

Ryan Sellers, a regular at Synetic Theatre, demonstrates here that he's more than just a strong mover. At one point he's hopeful (as a priest convinced he's experienced a miracle) and at other times he's heartbroken. The final scene - in which an 'early warning expert' comes to grips with the real world implications of his position - likely would not have had the impact it did on me without Sellers' convincing portrayal of a damaged man.

Ed Christian's gruff, but understanding portrayal of the FBI agent as well as his take on the loudmouth radio host that can't quite be reeled in, are among the standout moments in the piece. He fully captured nearly every dimension of each of these characters in mere instants.

The production elements enhance the mood of the piece and nicely complement the acting without pulling focus. Robbie Hayes' scenic design is multi-functional - a valuable asset in the staging of a play that deals with so many interwoven stories - yet highly theatrical. The brokenness of the characters, along with the fragmented nature of the stories we observe, are reflected in his design choices. Matthew Nielsen's sound design, particularly the elements used to signify an oncoming tsunami, amps up the intensity of the piece as does Jimmy Lawlor's nuanced lighting design.

In the end, I give credit to Hub for taking on such a challenging work and making the best of all of it had to work with.

Running Time: Nearly 1 hour and 50 minutes with no intermission.

Carried Away on the Crest of a Wave plays at the Hub Theatre - 9431 Silver King Court in Fairfax, VA - through December 8, 2013. Tickets can be purchased online.

Photo Credit: Melissa Blackall (Rafael Sebastian Medina and Nora Achrati pictured)

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