REVIEW of CLASS, industry performance at Open Jar Studios, written by Charles Evered, directed by Ben Atkinson

Class is a dark but hopeful drama by Charles Evered. With some small tweaks, it should be able to find an off-Broadway and regional and community theater audience.  Charlottesville-based Gotogotostudio has done an excellent job with the piece.  Ben Atkinson’s direction and portrayal of “Elliot”, the long mourning, once successful actor now reduced to doing acting classes in a run-down New York studio are both spot on.  Eliza Banaszak is excellent as the action hero uber rich movie star “Sara” who doubts she is an actress because she has never done, and her agent discourages her from doing, a “serious” role.

The initial meeting between the cantankerous Elliot and the entitled Sara creates tension that the play uses to establish itself.  Evered creates sexual tension between the two souls only to dismiss it (not necessarily convincingly) with Elliot’s declaration that he is gay.

These are two very damaged souls.  Elliott stopped acting because of the death of his partner from AIDS.  Eight years later he still lives as a hermit moving only between is NY apartment (never seen) and the studio where he gives classes to students hoping some of his once brilliance will rub off on them.  Sara, despite her massive success, doubts her worthiness of being called an actor and is dealing with an even darker secret – an uncurable cancer.

Inevitably, these two are destined to part unable to deal with the mixed feelings they have for each other, but, of course, reunite as Sara faces death and meets Elliott to inform him that she has remembered him (it appears generously) in her will.  It is a healing moment for both.

The play is relatively inexpensive to stage. It requires only an empty stage with one chair (unless the producers wish to place audience members on stage as Elliott’s class) and one or two windows that might be produced in a myriad of ways.  The weakness of the play and the thing that would disconnect audiences from it would is Elliott’s partner’s death from AIDS.  AIDS, for better or worse, has become an “old” disease that audiences no longer (properly or not) view as fatal.  Leaving it in the play will cause an audience disconnect.  A worthy substitute may be ALS which causes some of the same type of pain for victims and loved ones as AIDS did in the ‘80s and ‘90s.  Cancer would be too much cancer in one play, 

The show could have a successful run with a waiting audience either downstairs at HERE or LAMAMA.  A larger venue might swallow some of the intimacy that the play needs to inspire.

PHOTO CREDIT: GotoGoto Studios