Burbage Theatre Co. is proud to bring you hang, by debbie tucker green and directed by Lynne Collinson. According to BTC, a crime has been committed, and the victim has a choice to make. The criminal is waiting, his life in her hands. With shades of Harold Pinter, tucker green’s hang is a shattering and meticulously crafted three-hander about one woman and the unspeakable decision she must face alone.
Here’s how it happens. Three unnamed characters are in what looks like an interrogation room, where tea and water are persistently proffered. A suited man and woman sporting official lanyards oversee a judicial process, while the third— a frazzled, irritated woman— is morosely contemplating the fate of a man who has committed a crime against her and her family. The mystery as to why this trio came to be in this room gradually unfolds in an infuriatingly frustrating banter between the suits and the woman. The jawing can be so annoyingly tedious that you just want to scream STFU!! It doesn’t go unnoticed that we spectators can see ourselves distorted in the two-way mirror at all times, like a hung jury during an extended deliberation (set design by Trevor Elliott).
The casting for this production couldn’t have been more perfect. The irksome suits, portrayed by Margaret Melozzi and Aaron Morris, seem and sound exactly as the earnest screwballs you would expect. MJ Daly shakes with anxiety as emotion rises in the woman. Only a superbly strong cast can pull that off, keeping us interestedly on edge for the outcome.
BTC Artistic Director Jeff Church says, “We have an amazing cast and team, and a play that will provoke, evoke, and challenge your expectations.” He explains, “At Burbage, we strive to thrill, to surprise— to make you think and feel something with each production. So much of staging a play is carefully crafting how information is revealed to the audience— how should the play’s action unfold to tell its story most effectively? In this way, hang presents a unique challenge— green’s play reveals its contents in a way I’ve never quite experienced— a one-room, one-scene slow burn that is provocative, visceral, and not without a dark sense of humor. My first read made my heart race and brought me to the edge of my seat.”
Over the course of the play, the woman must decide what punishment the perpetrator will face, and whether or not she will read the letter he has written to her. Will it change her mind? The power of this stinging satire is understated as it exposes our vulnerabilities to things like crime and punishment, and maybe the value of having a good support system. We can’t help but reflect on how we would behave if we were in that seat.
BTC presents HANG through February 16. Run time is 80 with no intermission. For more information, visit https://www.burbagetheatre.org/hang.
