Perfect Quiet
Place is disquieting
by Jim Spencer & Shirley Lorraine, Ventura Breeze
An old radio drama opened with the question, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?”
One answer is: playwright Tom Eubanks does.
Tom Eubanks, a long time Ventura- based business professional and fixture on the Ventura County theater scene, is also a seasoned author of books and plays. His newest script, a psychological thriller entitled Perfect Quiet Place, is the current production at Oxnard’s Elite Theatre Company.
The play delves into themes of delusion, deception and reality chal- lenging circumstances through the experiences of Hannah, a 16-year-old who lives in the girls’ dorm at a learning institution.
At first, all seems common place as the action opens with Hannah and her dorm mates sharing their exuberance about circumventing the curfew rules. But incongruous elements begin to emerge when Hannah notices items are starting to disappear from her room which, oddly, doesn’t seem to have a lock on door. Then, there’s the peculiar night watchman who is always around and whose contradictory explanations of actions and events set off mental alarms for Hannah, and the audience as well.
As a thriller, Eubanks’ script is exceptionally well constructed. The early exposition is both entertaining and quick, setting up the audience for later surprises. He employs appropri- ate generational dialogue to adroitly add layers to the characters until they become engagingly complex. Just when the audience feels it has latched onto the story’s directional thread, Eubanks’ next scene effectively twists the picture to generate a totally new perspective.
On a deeper level, Hannah’s journey also delivers several thoughtful insights on some cause and effect issues related to the human psyche as it deals with, as Hamlet put it, “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”
So, Hannah’s Perfect Quiet Place turns out to be rather complicated. Without an ensemble of skilled actors on stage the potential of a breakdown with the audience becomes a possibility. The Elite’s four-member cast, under the direction of Brian Robert Harris, is more than up to the test and they all deliver rich performances.
by Jim Spencer & Shirley Lorraine, Ventura Breeze
An old radio drama opened with the question, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?”
One answer is: playwright Tom Eubanks does.
Tom Eubanks, a long time Ventura- based business professional and fixture on the Ventura County theater scene, is also a seasoned author of books and plays. His newest script, a psychological thriller entitled Perfect Quiet Place, is the current production at Oxnard’s Elite Theatre Company.
The play delves into themes of delusion, deception and reality chal- lenging circumstances through the experiences of Hannah, a 16-year-old who lives in the girls’ dorm at a learning institution.
At first, all seems common place as the action opens with Hannah and her dorm mates sharing their exuberance about circumventing the curfew rules. But incongruous elements begin to emerge when Hannah notices items are starting to disappear from her room which, oddly, doesn’t seem to have a lock on door. Then, there’s the peculiar night watchman who is always around and whose contradictory explanations of actions and events set off mental alarms for Hannah, and the audience as well.
As a thriller, Eubanks’ script is exceptionally well constructed. The early exposition is both entertaining and quick, setting up the audience for later surprises. He employs appropri- ate generational dialogue to adroitly add layers to the characters until they become engagingly complex. Just when the audience feels it has latched onto the story’s directional thread, Eubanks’ next scene effectively twists the picture to generate a totally new perspective.
On a deeper level, Hannah’s journey also delivers several thoughtful insights on some cause and effect issues related to the human psyche as it deals with, as Hamlet put it, “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”
So, Hannah’s Perfect Quiet Place turns out to be rather complicated. Without an ensemble of skilled actors on stage the potential of a breakdown with the audience becomes a possibility. The Elite’s four-member cast, under the direction of Brian Robert Harris, is more than up to the test and they all deliver rich performances.
Andrea Muller exudes genuineness and acting aplomb as Hannah. Annie
Sherman is particularly memorable
and convincing in the dual aspects of
her portrayal of Deidre, Hannah’s dorm
mate. Hayley Silvers gets to display a
scope of emotional diversity as Logan,
Hannah’s other dormie. Michael
Chandler is variously creepy, kindly, con-
f licted and menacing as the mysterious
man known as Marshall.
Eubanks’ script also invites the audience to closely focus on detail. As a result, minor inconsistencies may seem more apparent, such as characters who don’t change clothes even though a week has supposedly elapsed, or dialogue statements and patterns that seem unnecessarily rep- etitious or tempo inhibiting.
The Elite Theatre Company’s of
Perfect Quiet Place offers a chance to be
entertained and emotionally enticed.
It continues through May 27, 2012 at
the Elite’s home, The Petit Playhouse,
730 S. “B” St., in Oxnard’s Heritage
Square. Tickets: $15-$17. Information
and reservations: 483-5118. www.elite theatre.org. Eubanks’ script also invites the audience to closely focus on detail. As a result, minor inconsistencies may seem more apparent, such as characters who don’t change clothes even though a week has supposedly elapsed, or dialogue statements and patterns that seem unnecessarily rep- etitious or tempo inhibiting.
