'Perfect World' lets audiences explore main character's story
By: Doug Krentzlin
Special to The Examiner
September 24, 2008
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| Jason Lott stars in "This Perfect World" at Charter Theare. -- Courtesy Photo |
ARLINGTON — Halloween seems to have arrived early in the D.C. area this year, courtesy of some local theater companies. American Century Theater is reviving Ira Levin's macabre thriller "Dr. Cook's Garden," and now Charter Theater unveils Chris Stezin's "This Perfect World," a psychological horror story in the tradition of Edgar Allen Poe, Dorothy B. Hughes and Jim Thompson.
Stezin follows in the footsteps of the aforementioned writers by crafting a tale that is told from the point of view of an unbalanced mind. Jason Lott pulls off a one-man tour de force as Alan Anton, the main character and narrator.
At first glance, this seems to be a story about a neurotic xenophobe experiencing an extreme case of post-9/11 paranoia. As Alan tells it, he was fired from his job as an insurance agent in Erie, Pa., after harassing an Arab-American he witnessed filming his office building with a digital camera. Eventually we learn that things aren't as simple as they first appear.
There are hints that Alan (and/or his late wife and daughter) may have been victims of a terrorist bombing. Or that Alan may have once been a pilot in the military. Or that he may have suffered a childhood trauma. It would be unfair to give away much more, but suffice it to say that Alan's depiction of the sequence of events is not entirely trustworthy.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Stezin's work is he is one of the few modern playwrights who treat religious faith in a serious manner, rather than opting for caricature or criticism. (A St. Christopher medal plays a prominent part in Alan's story.)
The material is well directed with a nice sense of pacing by John Vreek. Keith Bridges' set conveys the proper sense of clutter seeing as the show begins with Alan telling us that he woke up that morning to find that Lake Erie had overflowed into his house.
Though not precisely a mystery, Charter Theater's "This Perfect World" presents armchair detectives with an intriguing puzzle as they try to deduce what exactly has happened to Alan to make him the person he is.
If you go
"This Perfect World"
Venue: Charter Theatre, Theatre on the Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run, Arlington
Performances: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 11
Tickets: $25 to $28
More Info: 202-333-7009 or chartertheater.org
