If you go to see Neil LaBute’s “Bash” at Mt. Holyoke College this weekend expecting a safe and predictable play, prepare to be knocked out of your seat. “Bash” is not for the faint of heart, and is a presentation saturated with very dark subject matter.
“Bash” is a compilation of three separate one-act plays with similar themes. The first play is called “Iphigenia in Orem,” and is a sixteen-page monologue performed by UMass student Bobby Ringuette. It takes place in a hotel room where he tells a tragic tale of family loss. Alone onstage, Ringuette delivers his dialogue directly to the audience.
When interviewed on the play’s unique format, Ringuette noted “in any show, the audience is always part of it, because if it weren’t for them there would not be a show. In this one, we are directly playing to them, letting the audience in on our secrets.” “Bash” is being presented by Annie Langer and Cassie Cushman as a senior thesis project and is being sponsored by the Mt. Holyoke faculty. Langer directs the production while Cushman stars. The other two roles are played by Ringuette and Amherst College student Taylor Downs. The second piece, “A Gaggle of Saints,” features Cushman and Downs as a couple giving two perspectives on an overnight trip to New York City. Similarly to the first act, the performers speak directly to the audience, as does Cushman in “Medea Redux,” the play’s third installment. She is in an interrogation room recounting a sad relationship that has shaped her life. Each of the three scenes builds to a dark, twisted climax which aims to leave audience members awestruck. The secrets that the characters share with the audience make for uncomfortable, non-traditional conclusions. While there are certainly comedic moments, the humor can best be described as dark. “There is something lingering underneath all of these scenes,” Said Ringuette. Neil LaBute is a director and writer of American films and plays. His first movie “In the Company of Men” (adapted from his play by the same title) received praise at several film festivals (including Sundance) in 1997. While studying at Brigham Young University, LaBute became a Mormon, a life occurrence that had a clear influence on “Bash.” The characters in “Bash” are also Mormon, and, due to the controversial nature of the show, LaBute was disfellowshipped from the Church of Latter Day Saints. “Bash” originally premiered on Broadway in 1999 and starred Ron Eldard in “Iphigenia in Orem” and Paul Rudd in “A Gaggle of Saints,” with Calista Flockhart also in “Medea Redux.” “If you are someone who likes to be shocked, see this show,” said Ringuette. “If you are someone who wants to see something dark, see this show.”
This is an intense play, and the twisted characters presented in it certainly make for a captivating story. Each of them is extremely deep and interesting, and emotions will be running high. “Bash” will be presented in the Rooke Theater at Mt. Holyoke College from March 6-8 at 8 p.m. and on March 9 at 2 p.m. The cost of admission is $3 for students and $5 general admission. The show runs under 2 hours. To make reservations for the play, call 413-538-2406.
Dan McNamara can be reached at [email protected].
