Another Review of Frozen

City Circle – If you want your theater experience to be more than a few songs and some snazzy costumes… If you want a play that makes you think… If you want performances that are heart wrenching… you must see City Circle’s production of Frozen by Bryony Lavery.

When the audience first enters the Northwest Junior High School theater, they are confronted with a space that embodies the name of the show. The four-level stage was bare except for wooden cubes painted to look like blocks of ice. There is a static nature to the space that suits the beginning of the play well as it tells the story of three individuals frozen in place: the mother whose daughter was murdered, the killer who has no remorse, and the neuropsychiatrist who has studied serial killers but never confronted one. Music played as we waited for the show to begin and while I didn't recognize the song, I did catch the words "fire burning", which prepared me for what was to come.

There's a strong sense of direction in this show as every movement by the actors is carefully calculated for maximum effect. Each of the three principal actors has a section of the stage to call their own and they retreat there while another character speaks. Director Steven Hunt sends them from their home base to other parts of the stage with deliberate intention. Particularly effective is Hunt's choice to send Ralph, the serial killer, into the space occupied by Nancy, the mother, as he abducts the child. Paula Grady as Nancy sits frozen and horrified while Matthew James as Ralph shows us how he convinced the girl to go with him.

James is revelation as Ralph. What's most horrifying and effective about his performance is that you get the sense that he's a pretty regular guy who just happens to kill people. By showing the audience the humanity of the character, it's impossible for us to write him off as an aberration. We want to understand how he can claim his only regret is that killing young girls isn't legal. James captures every moment of Ralph's journey toward remorse perfectly. His icy eyes always remind us of the killer within. His facial contortions transform a handsome visage into the image of a monster. But it’s James’ ability to create empathy for a killer, particularly in the final scenes of the show, for which he deserves the most praise.

Agnetha, the neuropsychiatrist, attempts to provide the audience with some understanding of why serial killers kill. Deborah Gideon's Agnetha offers us much needed moments of humor, especially in the beginning of the show. Her journey from analysis of a subject to empathy for a human being is enjoyable to watch. The only part of the script that seems a little shoved in is Agnetha's personal life. There's a use for it at the end of the play, but that payoff isn't really enough to justify the distraction. Nevertheless, Gideon does an excellent job with what she has to work with.

Grady does her best work toward the end of play when Nancy confronts Ralph. It's difficult to describe without giving away the ending, but suffice it to say Grady's choice to be more understated than emotional at the end, more frozen than on fire, works well.

There were many little touches that added to the production, like the use of music to emphasize the emotion of a scene and casting two angelic children as stagehands clad in white to remind us of the innocence destroyed by the killer. The lighting was also extremely well done as it followed the characters from one section of the stage to the next adding movement to what could have been a very static piece in the hands of a less skilled director.

Hunt and his cast and crew deserve praise for bringing to stage such a challenging and visceral show. This is theater at its best: entertaining, emotional, and thought provoking.

--Matthew Falduto

Matthew has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Iowa. He has directed, acted in, and produced theater in the Iowa City area for over ten years. He was worked with the Iowa City Community Theatre, City Circle and Dreamwell, of which he a founder. Two of his plays have been produced in the Iowa City area. In another brief life, he also worked as a technical writer.

(The above photo was taken by Wayne Carlson. Pictured left to right are Paula Grady, Deborah Gideon, Matthew James, and Stephen Polchert (Guard).)