Buckle up and sit tight because the ride is
going to be crazy. Written, directed and starring Paul Calderon, “Fringe of
Humanity” takes us behind the scenes of some b-movie shot by LA filmmakers in a
fictional Latin American country. We find the crew gathering at a hotel room in
the midst of preproduction. But before the principle photography begins, the
drama in the “production office” escalates rapidly as ex-heroin addict and
director, Nick (Paul Calderon), a PTSD damaged director of photography, Ken (William
Rothlein),
and hyped on cocaine producer Ross (David Zayas), jump from work to personal
matters and back.
photo by David Zayas Jr.
Tree
film actors, Steve (Jakob Von Eichel),
Ryan (Alex Emanuel) and Pierce (Luke Edward Smith), elbow each other for the
lead part in the movie, but all three blend together a bit in my memory. This
seems to be in the mood of the play: the producer thinks of his talents as
disposable and doesn’t change his views even when the life of one of the actors
gets threatened. Add to the picture
an aging starlet, Liz (Rebecca Nyahay), and two “bimbos”,
Crissy (Feliz Ramirez) and Vicky (Jessica Damouni), to further complicate
matters with the sexist nature of the film industry.
“Fringe of Humanity” is very fast-phased and
restless. Most of the time the actors are pacing anxiously around the small
stage and center aisle of the theater, sloppily decorated by a designer, who
took no credit for it. If this story were a movie, there would be many rapid cuts.
But since there is no variety in “focal lengths” in live theater, Calderon
employed the actors’ movement and speedy dialogue exchange to convey the mounting
madness.
The sound design by Sebastian Mitre “Baz”, consisted
mostly of constant salsa Muzak, contributes to the tense atmosphere. I was
annoyed by the 3rd minute of the show and was glad when the DP, Ken,
addressed the issue. But the music never really went away despite the complaints
of the increasingly frustrated cinematographer. The music had very little
development and hung in the air like a muggy cloud.
If your find yourself leaning back and grabbing
your chair with both hands, don’t worry, it will only get more intense. When
the DP takes out his knife at only the 5th minute of the show,
offended by the director, you can rest assured that this is just child’s play
compared to what’s coming. And this is exactly the problem that I had with the
“Fringe of Humanity”; it starts out loud and sharp and only picks up more speed.
The nearly constant yelling and rapid verbal crossfire soon make you numb to the
dangers coming both from the outside world and corrupted human souls.
David Zayas, playing the producer and the
mastermind behind the project, sets the bar high. He is an excellent performer
who owns the stage and wins your heart immediately despite the rotten
personality of his character. William Rothlein, portraying the DP devoted to
his art, is a delight to look at, especially during the scene of the rehearsal
of two young actresses. The script has a number of the comedic scenes such as
this one, and the balance by personal and industry issues makes this story attractive
and engaging.
Rebecca Nyahay, perhaps a bit too young to
portray a forty-something ex-starlet, is still excellent in both showing off at
first and crying hysterically in fear and anger in the end. The machismo of the
film industry is shown through the stories of her and two other female
characters. Both Feliz Ramirez and Jessica Damouni could
tone it down a notch, as their presence on stage was a bit excessive.
Anybody who has an insider experience in
filmmaking will recognize these characters. You might call them devoted to the
art or delusional, you might laugh at them, or feel sorry or scared for the
state of their minds. But they keep you engaged during the entire ride to the “Apocalypse”.
FRINGE OF HUMANITY ran January
on 11-28, at the Access Theater, located at 380
Broadway on the 4th floor.
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