May 1, 2015 - May 24, 2015
by Dan Rebellato
directed by Scott Yarbrough
Imago Theatre - 17 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
“You know when a song starts and it feels loose and chaotic? But then the drums come in and everything makes sense. That’s what he was in my life. He walked into my life and everything made sense. He was the moment when the drums come in.”
Sara’s life is thrown into disorder when her husband, Chris, dies unexpectedly. Trying to cope with her loss she discovers a compilation tape, apparently made for her by him. The only thing is, by the time he died, Chris was profoundly deaf. With the help of a friend she begins to unravel the secret of the tape, hoping that it may be his final message to her from beyond. Static is a beautiful, vibrant play of love, music, movement, and the difficulties of connecting no matter the language. In a bold theatrical move, it is also written to be performed bilingually in both English and sign language.
Reviews
My response began in admiration, but then it morphed to something else—affection…The craft of Rebellato’s play, director Scott Yarbrough’s integration of its elements, including Kaye Blankenship’s stunning abstract set and Jennifer Lin’s deft lighting design, and the skill of the actors. But if there’s magic in theater, it happens when skill turns into something deeper.
Oregon ArtsWatch
Strung together as haphazardly as life, the fragments that come together in Static leave the audience with a sense of meaning fuller than any one word could.
The Oregonian