Because I review all the performing arts and typically publish only four to five performances in any given month, I carefully vet the plays I see to ensure that my time is well spent. My criteria usually focus on such factors as content, playwright, performers, directors, creative team and the presenter. In the case of Aspen Ideas, which I saw Saturday at the Frank & Katrina Basle Theatre at the Phoenix Theatre Culture Center. Because it was an American Lives Theatre, production, there was absolutely no question that I had experience it before its Sunday closing, because it met my criteria retarding all the qualities mentioned previously.
It is also worth mentioning that because I am an actor-director-producer myself, I bring a unique perspective to my role as a critic. And because ALT has a reputation for the high caliber of actors who are drawn to its artistic quality, one is guaranteed to always witness fine performances in its productions. Aspen Ideas was no exception.
Directed by Zach Neiditch, one of Indy’s most talented directors, the outstanding cast consisted of Diane O’Halloran (Diana), Clay Mabbit (Rob), Alaine Sims (Jay), Zach Taybor (Chris) and Morgan Janning (Sophie).
Written by Abe Koogle, Aspen Ideas was set to premiere at the Studio One Theatre in Washington, D.C., during their 2019-2019 season but never made it on stage because of the pandemic. However, ALT artistic director Chris Saunders contacted the playwright and obtained permission to present the play in Indy, making it at least a regional premiere, if not a world one
A dark, satirical comedy with shades of the 1960s TV series The Twilight Zone, the play opens with Rob and Ann at a party in New York, where the couple live. Nouveau riche, pretentious, social climbers who were once struggling artists in their twenties, came into money in their thirties are now in their forties mixing with the hoi polloi in Manhattan society and business. There they engage in a one-sided conversation with a pleasant woman named Jay, whom Ann is drawn to.
Later in their swank apartment, they host Jay and her partner, the enigmatic Chris, who, together, project an air of mystery, not to mention oddness. Rob and Ann, much like they did at the previous party, continue to chat incessantly at length, not giving their guests a chance to participate in the conversation. Narcissistic and overbearing, it becomes clear that underneath their disingenuous façade is a codependent couple experiencing unexplained, underlying tension and conflict.
At one point, their rebellious, resentful, teen daughter Sophie is introduced. Rob and Ann later invite Jay and Chris to join them at the Aspen Ideas Festival, which they have attended previously, and where they go to engage with others to share big ideas about improving the world. Later in the 90-minute play, things start to feel sinister, and it is clear something if off about Chris and Jay during a scene that takes place on a plane as the two couples and Sophie make their way. Once at their destination, the mystery that has shrouded the story unfolds, leading to a conclusion that left audience members scratching their heads and asking the question “What just happened?” I am tempted to include a spoiler at this point but since the play has not yet formally premiered, I do not wish to ruin the ending for anyone searching for reviews on the net.
As for the performances themselves, each cast member was thoroughly believable and convincing in their characterizations. O’Halloran was marvelous as the neurotic, self-possessed Anne, as was Mabbitt as Rob, a disingenuous, opportunistic, money manager. Sims and Tabor were near perfection as the mystifying Chris and Jay, holding secrets beneath their deadpan expressions, and Janning was ideal as sullen, angst-ridden Sophie, who is disdainful of her parents’ lifestyle. The entire ensemble, under Neiditch’s deft direction, superbly exhibited their individual crafts with aplomb.
