University Players, ‘On the Verge' of finding the future

By Brooke Karli
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer

Five University Players took the stage at the Players Theatre Friday night at Cal State Long Beach, delivering "On the Verge," written by Eric Overmeyer and directed by Lynne Innerst.

"On the Verge" is a contemporary American comedy about a group of three Victorian-era American women journeying through Terra Incognita, an unknown land, in the year of 1888, while exploring their way through time. They discover the future after encountering many different clues.

As their journey starts and progresses, the girls have various discussions pertaining to whether or not the development of Kodak is scientific or simply good engineering, the debate over women wearing trousers, and of course, the importance of having a good loufa.

Along their path of exploration, Fanny, Mary and Alex are introduced to a cannibal, an apparition, a troll and an abominable snowman. It is not until after they fight animals and bushes with umbrellas and sticks and spend late nights drinking alcohol by the fire that they receive their first clue to the future: a metal button that says "I Like IKE."

Clues from the future start flowing in, ranging from a newspaper clipping referring to President Nixon, a conversation with "Mr. Coffee," a spirit-like being who informs Fanny of the future death of her husband Grover, to visiting Madame New, a psychic from Dragon Lady that tells the future of each girl. After receiving such clues, Alex begins to "absorb the future through osmosis," while Fanny begins to crave Cool Whip.

The clues bring them to the year 1955, where Alex enjoys rock ‘n' roll, Mary obsesses with gambling and Fanny takes a whirlpool bath before eating a bowl of Cool Whip. After buying a new wardrobe, meeting new acquaintances and experiencing advanced technology, the girls must decide whether or not they want to return to the past or progress into the future. Fanny and Alex decide to stay in 1955 as Fanny is newly engaged and Alex finds a career in creating product jingles. Mary, on the other hand, prefers to continue into the future to build on her career as an anthropologist. Their journey through an unknown land ends with the separation between present and future.

The cast, which consists of Eleanor van Hest (Fanny), Jessica Culaciati (Mary), Sylvia Cervantes (Alex), James Dadzie (Grover and others) and Adam Hale (abominable snowman and gas station clerk), did a phenomenal job of interacting with the audience and painting a vivid picture with the use of detail. As the girls "slashed" their way through jungle greenery, they toppled over audience members as they journeyed through the theatre's aisles, sitting down on various attendants when tired, while people-eating Alfonze sniffed out audience members as he exited his part. The production in itself was very comical with splashes of sarcasm, wit and intuition.

"On the Verge," also known as "The Geography of Yearning," was directed by Lynne Innerst, who refers to this particular play as a "muscular piece of theatre." In rehearsing the play, Innerst took the three women in her cast on a six-mile hike, running the play while bushwhacking their way through unknown territory as the Victorian explorers they portray.

"It's an amazing play," Innerst said, "about art, metaphor, theatre and language. It's about breaking your own boundaries and moving into the unknown."

"On the Verge" opened Nov. 19 and performances will continue until Dec. 11.