In his 2018 one-act, actor and writer Greg Keller creates a relationship between two young men so poignant, agonizing, and fundamental that it’s difficult to believe no other playwright (at least to my knowledge) has explored this terrain before. Describing the true nature of their pathologically intertwined past, about which only one is aware until late in the play, would spoil nearly everything in these intermittently riveting 75 minutes—largely because Keller unwisely turns what might be the play’s animating event into the eleventh hour big reveal.
In this Jackalope premiere, director Wardell Julius Clark brings this final section of Dutch Masters thrillingly to life, thanks in large part to Patrick Agada’s mesmerizing, at times unbearable performance as Eric. Agada navigates an emotional minefield as Eric cycles though spite, regret, betrayal, helplessness, and soul-splitting rage. As Steve, Sam Boeck is mostly stuck flinching in fear and bewilderment, which is about all the script gives him to do.
Through 4/6: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 and 8 PM, Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway, jackalopetheatre.org, $30, $20 students and seniors.
