The JonBenét Game – Courtesy of Indy Ghost Light. Used with permission.
When I first saw the title of playwright Tori Keenan-Zelt‘s, “The JonBenét Game,” and not having vetted it in advance, I presumed that the work was an edgy, irreverent and quirky satire. But to my surprise, when I attended Friday’s opening night of New Plays Exchange rolling premiere presented by American Lives Theatre, I discovered the engrossing work was anything but a comedy.
Directed by accomplished actor Jenni White, the dark play stars Molly Bellner (Rae), Case Knowling (Molly, Hazel) and Lyn Perkins (Miss Kay, Rae’s mom) the story follows Molly and Rae, 12-year-old best friends who secretly act out the JonBenét case at sleepovers. JonBenét Ramsey was 6-year-old beauty queen who was killed in her family’s Boulder, Colorado home in 1996. It’s a gripping, true crime mystery which remains unsolved. Currently it is depicted in a definitive Netflix docuseries.
The JonBenét Game – Courtesy of Indy Ghost Light. Used with permission.
In the play, it is 20 years later, when Molly’s 12-year-old daughter Hazel shows up at the office of Rae, who is now a guidance counselor at a Christian school. carrying her mom’s playbook in her possession. Eventually Rae and Hazel slip back into playing the game which ultimately takes an intriguing, dangerous turn.
The production featured superb acting on the part of the talented, versatile trio of Bellner, Knowling and veteran Perkins, all of whom were thoroughly convincing in their portrayals. Knowling, however, was difficult to hear sometimes because of her lack of projection. Fortunately, she more than made up for it with her nuanced, compelling characterization of the grieving Hazel who is dealing with her mother’s suicide.
As far as the show’s lighting design, I felt it slowed the pace which might have been quicker, but they hindered by transitions denoting changes of time and space. Blackouts or fadeouts with blue light might have been more effective. In regard to Rosalind (Rozy) Isquith‘s scenic design, Ox Casile’s sound design and Danielle Buchel Klein’s costumes —their contributions are all worthy of praise for their efficacy.
For tickets and information about “The JonBenét Game,” visit ameericanlivestheatre.org.
