Review: “Bullet Catchers”

A new play by Maggie Moore and Julia Sears raises an important topic of women in combat, infusing a real life issue with Greek mythology. 

The misconception that women are inferior to men physically and in leadership qualities dominates many spheres of life, and not least of all the military forces. Up until December 2015, women couldn’t officially apply for some positions in the US army, including the infantry. But even after the combat ban was lifted, women in uniform continue to fight criticism of the skeptics.  

Sandra W. Lee and the cast of Bullet Catchers in rehearsal

Maggie Moore and Julia Sears, co-creators of Bullet Catchers (slang for infantry), joined forces with serving military members and veterans in extensively researching the issue of women in combat. The result of two-year development is a play set in the not-so-distant future, following the first official mixed gender infantry unit from the recruitment to training and then to deployment. On top of daily life threats and personal dramas unfolding at home, five women and two men experience constant pressure of being evaluated by their superiors.    

The military background of some cast members enriches the entire production with heartfelt, realistic nuances. Unfortunately we don’t get to know all seven members of the unit closely, and just enough information is provided to develop an emotional connection with some of them. I felt for Sergeant Kalli Kovas (Adrienne Brammer), a mother separated from her little daughter; and Lieutenant Colonel Maya De Los Santos (Jessica L. Vera), trying to appear tough in front of her subordinates by hiding the fact that she is married to a woman. But a lot of the relationships inside and outside the base are left as loose ends.   

Parallel to the infantry unit, we are introduced to Até, the daughter of the god named War (Sandra W. Lee, doubling as Jordan, Maya’s wife). She opens the play challenging her father by saying that war can have a woman’s face. To fulfill her mission she selects Maya as her “weapon”. Até appears throughout the play. Invisible to mortals, she gestures with her hands, manipulating soldiers like a puppeteer. Bullet Catchers evidently strives for a Greek epic level of pathos here but instead confuses the audience. The reinvented goddess from the Greek mythology seems to be from another play, when Bullet Catchers is best when talking about real women in combat.     

With that said, Sandra W. Lee playing the enraged warrior, does make a few stunning appearances. During the prologue, two massive shadows of Até dance on the walls of Judson Memorial Church as she swings her sword. In this, and many other instances, the dramatic lighting by Kelley Shih creates memorable visuals in a space with virtually non-existing set design.

By itself, the empty hall of the late 19th century church, with the stained glass windows and arches supported by columns, is a very dominating space. Bullet Catchers has a hard time making it home, partly because of the acoustics. It is really difficult to hear the actors if they are facing away from you, and with the audience seated on three sides it is unavoidable. The acoustics pay off during the a cappella coda sung by the entire cast.

The show is sprinkled with dancing sequences emulating the everyday routine of the “bullet catchers” set to lyrical ballades. These, and some other instances of inventive staging by the director Julia Sears, are the most memorable moments of Bullet Catchers, but unfortunately the current production suffers from a lack of cohesiveness.  

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Bullet Catchers plays at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square Park South, through August 5th, 2017. The running time is 100 minutes with no intermission. Performance days and times vary; check calendar for details. Tickets are $20 and are available at bulletcatcherstheplay.com. Veterans and military members can inquire about discounted rates by emailing bulletcatchersboxoffice@gmail.com. 

Bullet Catchers is by Maggie Moore and Julia Sears. Directed by Julia Sears. Produced by Clutch Productions and Josiah Grimm. Sound Design is by Almeda Beynon. Lighting Design is by Kelley Shih.

Featuring and Co-Written by: Adrienne Brammer, Rebecca Hirota, Sandra W. Lee, Jay Myers, Victoria Nassif, Jessica L. Vera, Emma C. Walton, Damion J. Williams

[This review was published on theasy.com on 7.23.17]

Review: “Navigator in Love”

In the new play by Georgian playwright Lasha Bugadze, a love affair between a man and his GPS becomes a universal emblem of loneliness.

Can you imagine if your GPS not only would tell you where to turn, but also give you style advice, spy on your colleagues, and amuse you with pictures of an imaginary future? Lasha Bugadze explores the relationship between human and machine in Navigator in Love, currently running at Teatro Circulo as a part of the Georgian-American Theatrical Feast. If you have watched the 2013 Spike Jonze film Her, you can probably guess some of the pitfalls of this kind of romance. The movie, however, takes place in the near future, while Bugadze's play is about the not-so-recent past and takes place in the Republic of Georgia.  

Michael Propster in Navigator in Love. Photo by Isaiah Tanenbaum.

Rostom (Michael Propster), a working stiff in his 40s, gets a promotion and a car equipped with a GPS. He is assigned to inspect a few construction sites and is hesitant about the new responsibilities. All four of the locations are in conflict zones. Rostom hasn’t driven in ten years and he has a sick father who is scared to be left alone for a long time. But as he starts driving and talking with his GPS, the road suddenly feels like liberation from the oppressive office atmosphere and pent-up anger towards his family. But is this a road to empowerment or to madness?      

Navigator in Love is presented as a futuristic love affair between a man and an artificial intelligence. But as such, it feels a little shallow. No matter how many turns and roundabouts Rostom takes, guided by his GPS, their “love story” beelines towards the dramatic finale and just scratches the surface of the possibilities. The “side road attractions” that Bugadze’s play leaves behind are sometimes more interesting than its main conflict. 

Clenching the invisible steering wheel, rotating in his office chair in the middle of the darkened stage, Rostom casually mumbles at some point: “There are Russian tanks on this road, we can’t turn here.” Another haunting moment occurs when the head of the Rostom's department awkwardly jokes that the new residential and recreational zones that he's been sent to inspect are near the conflict zones. Moments like these are startling, especially considering characters’ easiness and even boredom with the constant state of alarm. Political turmoil in the region merely serves as a distant backdrop for the story of one's loneliness and inability to find support in one's fellow human beings, whether family, friends or love interests.

The cast, under direction of Adam Knight, truly makes the play and the workplace drama is the most enjoyable aspect of it. Balancing between subordination and human connection—sometimes clumsy, sometimes forceful, sometimes sincere, sometimes pitiful—fuels the story. Out of seven very talented actors, I would especially acknowledge both Masha Dakic as Clara, Rostom’s office crush, and Brett Epstein as Jakeli, his office pal. The vixen Clara, sucking on watermelon and checking out her perfect legs during the lunch break with meek Rostom, is a textbook example of how one can flirt and reject at the same time. Dakic deliberately takes her performance over the top, as every day at the office is a one-woman show for this drama queen. Epstein takes on the function of comic relief, mentioning his medication and swearing on his dead brother’s grave in every other scene. There are a lot of comedic moments like these in Navigator in Love, but counterbalanced with its Kafkaesque anxiety, it doesn’t seem funny at all.

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Navigator in Love plays at Teatro Circulo, 64 East 4th Street, through August 6th, 2017. The running time is 80 minutes with no intermission. Performance days and times vary; check calendar for details. Tickets are $18 and are available at redlabproductions.org or by calling 800-838-3006.

Navigator in Love is by Lasha Bugadze. Directed by Adam Knight. Produced by Red Lab Productions. Set Design is by Adam Knight. Sound Design is by Toby Algya. Lighting Design is by Lauren Duffie. Costume Design is by Irina Gachechiladze.

The cast is Alan Altschuler, Masha Dakic, Rose DeGraw, Brett Epstein, Michael Propster, Lauren Riddle and Owen Scott.

[This review was published on theasy.com on 7.15.17]