Out of order
The background of trees at sunrise fades as the stage goes black. The cast members of Syracuse University Drama’s ‘The Rimers of Eldritch’ take their places and then, a gunshot rings out.
‘Welcome to Eldritch,’ a voice says from overhead. ‘We hope you enjoy your stay.’
When the lights come up, there is no gun, no smoke – just a trial already in progress.
With a cast of eccentric and talented characters on stage for the majority of the show, ‘The Rimers of Eldritch’ loses audience members due to its non-sequential plot. Vignettes of two or three characters are highlighted with spotlights, while the rest of the cast shifts to view the scene.
‘The Rimers of Eldritch’ is the second show of the SU Drama season and runs through Nov. 23 at the Arthur Storch Theater at Syracuse Stage.
The set represents scenes from all over town – front porches, the local café, the woods and a courtroom. It is a series of wooden platforms with various chairs strewn about.The play is set in 1953 in Eldritch, Mo. It was a town built on coal and abandoned when the coal gave out. Rumors of who committed the crime, and who saw what, fly around the small, 70-person Midwestern town. It’s a puzzle that comes together at the very end.
The structure prevents the audience from attaching to any one character and keeps them in the dark until the last 10 minutes of the two-hour show. The audience knows there was a murder, but little of anything else.
Clad in dresses of the time period with tiny belts, the women of ‘Rimers’ are excellent. Speaking with spot-on Midwestern accents and relatable emotion, senior acting major Danielle Von Gal and sophomore acting major Lindsey Van Horn take their roles further than others in the cast.
Van Horn plays Mary Windrod, an elderly woman disturbed by what she has seen in relation to the crime. The townspeople look down upon her, leaving her daughter as her only confidant. Van Horn embodies Windrod’s spirit as she moves about the stage and sits gazing out the window at the moon.
Von Gal, who plays Evelyn Jackson, releases a high level of emotion when her young daughter, Eva, is in danger. Numerous scenes have Von Gal holding and caressing her young daughter, and the audience reacts as if it is a genuine moment.Eva, portrayed by Tara Windley, is the most convincing character on stage.
Sophomore musical theater major Windley, making her SU Drama debut in this role, acts as a 14-year-old handicapped girl stuck between childhood wonder and adult actions. Often found wandering around the woods with an older man, Windley’s eyes read with the emotions of the young girl.
By far the most intriguing character is Skelly Mannor, portrayed by junior acting major Kristian Rodriguez. Found stumbling around the stage or being tormented by local teens, Skelly is the crazy man in town. Rodriguez never goes over the top with the craziness, even when talking to an imaginary hound or tormenting the teens back.
For numerous cast members, ‘The Rimers of Eldritch’ marks their first time on a SU Drama main stage show. Yet the inexperience does not show, as no one character spends too much time in the spotlight.
Despite confusing parts and fragmented scenes, the play creates one picture at the end. For those paying attention throughout, the finale is startling and pulls the entire show together.
Published on November 18, 2008 at 12:00 pm
