Cal Rep comes through with an intense thriller
By Jose Corado
Daily Forty-Niner
Not many plays, including some of the most
modern ones, present their themes and ideas in a way that relates to the
lives of people of today's time.
The California Repertory Company presents
"Three in the Back, Two in the Head," a riveting thriller that links idealism
and political ideology in an intensely personal context.
The play delves into the dark world of
the CIA and raises important questions about their desire for peace.
The play follows the quest of Paul Jackson
(John Mellies) to discover his father's murderer into the world of defense
technology and government corruption.
Directed by Joanne Gordon and written by
Jason Sherman, this play probes the heart and mind of Donald Jackson (Paul
O'Brian), a defense missile scientist who struggles with the CIA because
of his personal and political ideology ? an ideology that may prove fatal
to him.
Donald has spent the last 20 years of his
life working on a project called "Snowman," when he is unexpectedly told
by CIA General Ed Sparrow (Stephen Mendel) that his project will not work
anymore.
But Donald's devotion to an ideal leads
him to give "Snowman" to a foreign nation, which the CIA considers
betrayal.
Donald is blinded by his idealism. He thinks
of "Snowman" as a defense system and not a system that could be used for
attack.
The story unfolds from various perspectives
and it seems to be almost like an intricate game of chess in which everyone
is a pawn.
The stakes are high, and the dramatic tension
gains a lot of momentum as the players in the game reveal themselves.
This play is sophisticated and intense.
The unfolding of events is presented efficiently.
This play grips the audience with its intensity
and drama.
The play will run until Nov. 20 at the
Edison Theatre in Long Beach. |
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