Review: FbTC sets a heavy Halloween mood with 'The Thin Place'

Oct. 21—It's October ... time for a good ghost story.

That's essentially what Flashback Theater Co.'s newest production, "The Thin Place," turns out to be — though much like the kind of candle one often lights before spinning a spooky yarn, it's a slow burn. All the better for building suspense.

The following is a review for this production of "The Thin Place" by Lucas Hnath, which will be staged October 26-28 at Stoner Little Theater on the campus of Somerset Community College. As I always do for my reviews of local theatre performances, I'll remind people that this isn't a truly objective evaluation; one, I'm way too connected with the local theatre community and the people in it for harsh criticism even if I had any, and two, I'd never want to tear down efforts by local people to make good artistic contributions to the community anyway. But I do like to talk a little about the play, make my observations, and let people know what they can expect so they can decide whether or not this is something they'd like to see.

"The Thin Place" has a pretty thin cast — four people, headlined by Jenny Denney (fresh off her recent amazing performance in FbTC's "Sweeney Todd") and Johnna Atkinson-Bigelow (ditto). The latter plays a medium, Linda who claims to be able to communicate with the dead; in reality, she's doing the standard cold reading tricks which so-called psychics are known to typically practice.

Atkinson-Bigelow strikes just the right feel for the native Brit Linda — a woman who constantly wears herself as a disguise. Putting on airs with a snooty voice speaking relatable words, everything about Linda is a show — until she lets her guard down, at which the becomes perhaps the most honest of a group of people talking about everything and nothing all at once at a dinner party, dressing down the Americans in her company for their pretensions. And then her guard really comes down, when she's forced to deal with the possible reality of the kinds of topics she dabbles in for show (and money) — but we won't get into that right now. It's a ghost story, remember.

Denney portrays Hilda, a young woman taken in by Linda's clairvoyant claims. Hilda is a quiet woman, a bit of an odd duck, who has her own experience with the supernatural — she practiced mind-reading exercises as a child, something her mother didn't approve of for reasons of faith. She's deeply interested in the idea that Linda can communicate with the dead — and even learning that Linda is just faking it doesn't do much to spoil her own convictions.

I've known Denney for a long time, having first acted with her in Somerset Community College's teen theatre program back in 1997, and I feel like she was tailor-made for this role. Quiet by nature, with an expressive face capable of a knowing smirk, Denney spends much of her time in the play keeping her mouth shut and letting her expressions do the acting. The cocktail party debates feature little dialogue from Denney, but she may end up the star of the scene — keep a close eye on her throughout. There are times, however, when Denney does speak, and when she does, she overtakes the scene completely, with a true sense of command and confidence as an actor.

Also in the cast is young Gunnar Richardson, a recent graduate of Southwestern High School who sinks into his part as Linda's cousin Jerry so well that you never feel like there's a drastic age gap between him and the rest of the cast. Richardson has been in a Flashback junior cast for younger actors during a previous production, but he's in the big leagues now and acquits himself artfully.

The fourth member of the cast, Joy Chaney, feels very natural as Sylvia, some sort of American "sugar mama" for Linda who helps pay for her stay in the states. Her delivery feels like a real person speaking — theater actors often have a certain sort of stylization to their performances that feels "stagey" compared to everyday interactions, but sometimes the alternative to that is refreshing to see in a play, and Chaney provides that feel.

These two actors provide the sources of conflict at our party scene, with political discussions, gossip, and moments of personal affront. It is into this swamp of pettiness that Hilda's silent presence cuts like a knife — or, more appropriately, a like a chill in the air, the kind that's often felt when the paranormal is probed. Observation is a powerful thing when everyone is speaking so loudly; it's listening for the quiet voices in the breeze that often leads a person to hear what others cannot.

That's sort of the concept between the notion of a "thin place" between the living and the dead, an area where those on the other side of this mortal coil can reach out and interact with those left behind. It's something Hilda clearly believes in throughout the play — but why is she so sure of it?

Ultimately, like a group of kids around a campfire, our characters are told a ghost story of sorts — much as we, the audience, are as well, as if the stage is the campfire and we're the ones listening, getting goosebumps, cuddling under our blankets and listening for things that go bump in the night. The plays begin later than most FbTC productions, at 9 p.m., adding to that spooky nocturnal feel — and the lighting of the play inside the theatre is carefully crafted to contribute to that mood as well (credit to director Sommer Schoch, set designer Steffanie Phillippi, costume designer Bailey Patterson and stage manager Tiffany Warren for their roles in creating this eerie ambiance).

Much like Halloween is a time for ghost stories, it's also a time for tricks and treats — and this production has a few tricks up its sleeve I can't get into, but I promise they'll be treats. Just be prepared for some surprises — and be ready for anything.

Ticket prices are $23 in advance, $25 at the door, $12 in advance and $15 at the door for students, and $20 both in advance and at the door for seniors. Tickets can be purchased online at: https://fbtc.ticketleap.com/thin-place/ or by calling the Flashback Theater Co. box office at (888) 394-3282, ext. 1. Box office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. — 4 p.m.