Contrived Ending

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Mystery thriller flags someone or several someone’s are going to get knocked off. Mystery thriller signals not everyone is going to be whom they say they are, the first time around, or even the second and third. Mystery thriller spotlights there will be several twists and upside down turns throughout the course of action, and always, at the climax, a surprise. With that formula, it is relatively easy to stay one step ahead of the plot, and consequently there are no surprises. Such is the case for director/producer/playwright, Scott Gibson’s new mystery thriller, Kill the Moment currently playing at The Buntport Theatre under the flagship Conundrum Productions.

Jeremy Make and Rhonda Lee Brown in Contrived Ending.

Josh Harwell’s world premiere of Contrived Ending does an astonishing job of capturing the restlessness of youth of the mid 1990s.

Some public conversations tickle the imagination when overheard whether it is in a restaurant, park, or movie theater. Some celebrate curiosity going around in circles, going nowhere, and doing nothing. Brilliant playwrights such as George Bernard Shaw, Eugene O’Neil, and Arthur Miller fascinate with their wordsmith ability to construct tantalizing dialogue between characters.

To construct dialogue with characters in conversation that goes around in circles for the sake of going around in circles takes a special talent, particularly if the playwright expects the audience to pay attention.

Some of the conversation in Contrived Ending definitely has a point to make, while some of it flies endlessly around the room for noise for the sake of noise, words for the sake of words. That has to do, in part, because the characters hesitate to say what they really want to say, lack the vocabulary to say it, or both.

What’s stunning about Hartwell’s play is no matter what side of the tracks the conversation lands on; dialogue and characters compel intriguing attentiveness. One wants to hear what they have to say, even when they have nothing to say. Hartwell nails the attitudes to the wall.

Produced by Scott Gibson and Conundrum Productions, and currently playing at the Buntport Theatre, Contrived Ending is a play of historical value not to be missed.

Directed by Jim Hunt, a mind-blowing cast captivates the characters, neatly wrapping themselves into all the crevices taking ownership of each character, engulfing them in the time period. The result: a marriage of cast and script.

All of the characters work for a movie theater, owned by Mr. Vincent (Paul Page) who completely transforms himself into a tottering old man, married but very alone and lonely, seeking manly satisfaction from his sex-starved theatre manager, Wendy, played with a sensual craze by Rhonda Brown. Mr. Vincent lives in a world of his own. Movies and the movie theater are his world. Well, that and Wendy. To prove to himself and the world movies are vitally important, he has constructed a list of favorite 20 top movies of all time. He can rattle off the list at brake neck speed without taking a breath. As he constructs his list, Page constructs Mr. Vincent into a dicey, juicy character of fascination. Definitely not someone you would want to have as a dinner guest. At least, I wouldn’t.

Flooded with cynical resentment, Nathan, (Jeremy Make) accepts a job in the concession stand, thanks to his best friend Jack, (Matt Mueller) who has been working at the theater for some time tearing tickets. He seems perfectly content spending his life doing so. Make expertly drains his face and body to make room for Nathan’s confused disappointed defeat. In perpetual motion from continual $45.00 highs, Jack’s resentment of Nathan bubbles annoyingly out in the open. They’ve gone to school together for several years, but the feeling Nathan abandoned him refuses to leave him alone. Working in a movie theater is just fine for 16 year olds. Not for Nathan, but he’s desperate.

Jamie Ann Romero plays Laurel who sells tickets. Romero’s innate ability to consume the loose as a goose body of 17 year old languishing in any shape and form it wants to without concern for where it sits, how it sits, or when it sits captures the eye. Laurel wants to break up with her boyfriend, but doesn’t because she’ll miss him. Jack feeds her hopeful encouragement to break up so he can ask her out. Romero’s Laurel remains content to work for peanuts living in her small studio apartment. It bothers her that her two successful sisters with high-powered jobs haven’t talked to her in two years. She’s wasting her life they’ve told her, but she insists, they’re the ones with high-powered headaches.

Another of the school friends comes in the form of Shane, marvelously put together haphazardly by Steven J. Burge. With rumpled hair and an ‘I don’t care attitude’, Burge finely depicts Shane missing a couple of floors on his elevator.

Antagonized conflict bubbles between Jack and Nathan.

Wendy tries desperately to be the know-it-all-up-on-her-game manager when bustling around the lobby. In her office she purrs sexuality that slurps around her. Brown is delicious in this role.

Having Nathan come to her office, she coos over what a great job he is doing, even though he has only been there a short time. Technically, she doesn’t care whether he is doing a great job or not. Her motive remains simple, to come on to him. Sex is important to her she tells him. Sex is the one thing that tells her she’s alive. Despondent enough over his life, Nathan easily walks away from her.

A Christmas party scheduled by Mr. Vincent in the lobby, the employees are not only expected to be there, but they are to wear costumes of characters featured in one of the films shown in the last five years. Pizza will be served. Not all of the employees show up. Neither does the pizza. Already inebriated, Mr. Vincent arrives in a shabby poor fitting Santa costume. He’s already heard about Wendy cooing over Nathan. Seeing great promise for Nathan in the movie theater business he insists Nathan must come up with his ten top favorite movies, demanding Nathan be ready with the list at the party. Nathan has no interest in pursuing a career in the movie theater, but he plays with the list. At the poor excuse for the party, Mr. Vincent could care less about the list. Wendy is his. Got it? Got it.

Whenever, Shane appears, Burge demonstrates his comedic flavor. On the one hand pathetic and pitiful, on the other laughably funny.

A connection sparks between Nathan and Laurel, complicating Nathan and Jack’s strained relationship.

Much of the significance of Contrived Ending lies between the lines. The wedding between script and actors defines the unspoken thoughts. A tragedy in Act II knocks everyone for a loop. At the same time, the horrific unexpected shapes a major decision for Nathan and Laurel.

Biz Schaugaard designed such a realistic movie theatre lobby set there is the wanting to buy a bag of Movie Theater popcorn. The hot dog sign leaves the mouth watering. Wendy’s office just off the lobby with its own door is also open to the audience. The transformation for Brown as Wendy the official theater manager and Wendy the sex starved kitten plays out behind closed doors while clarified for the audience.

No question. Contrived Ending is a stunning show with a remarkable script defining a particular generation with an artistic cast who snugly wraps themselves in keenly defined characterizations.