Tuesday, November 4, 1997
Charade exposed in "Earth and Sky"
THEATER Post’s detective thriller offers hope in an otherwise
dark play
By Kristi Nakamura
Daily Bruin Contributor
The shadowy noir underworld of Chicago. August 1997. A man is
found murdered and his grief-stricken lover is left to unravel the
tangled web of events that led to his death. As she immerses
herself in the corruption, she learns that nothing is as it
seems.
Douglas Post’s poetic thriller "Earth and Sky," currently at the
Copperview Theatre in Hollywood, has many intricate twists and
turns that keep the audience in suspense. In this well-written
work, none of the characters are who they first appear to be.
The audience follows the naive and trusting heroine, Sara
McKeon, in her encounters with the suspicious characters who know
more about her lover’s murder than they will admit. The audience
picks up the same clues and attempts to figure out the sequence of
events right along with Sara.
Having known David for only three months, Sara is determined to
prove that she did not misplace her faith in him. When the police
suspect David was murdered for his involvement in horrendous
crimes, Sara refuses to accept that explanation.
Sara does not believe David could have led a double life and
deceived her. David is everything to Sara – her earth and sky – and
she is willing to risk her entire belief system and her life to
clear his name and establish the purity of their love.
By the climax of the play, when Sara finally confronts her
lover, David Ames’ murderer, the audience has almost as much
invested in solving the crime as she does.
To make things even more interesting, there are two different,
but connected, stories going on at the same time in "Earth and
Sky." The primary story is of Sara’s investigation. The secondary
story, told through soft, red-lighted flashbacks, details how Sara
and David met and fell in love.
The flashbacks help to establish Sara’s justifications for
loving David and believing in him as much as she does. They help
ground the audience firmly within Sara’s perceptions of the
relationship, while adding tension to the primary plot by creating
doubt surrounding David’s criminal past.
Unlike the primary plot, which moves forward in time, the
flashbacks start from the present and move farther into the past.
The opening scene where Sara talks to David on the phone just
before he is murdered serves as the starting point for both
plots.
The talented actors cast in "Earth and Sky" bring very human
personalities to their roles. The actors bring the characters to
life, complete with the dualities and complexities of good and
evil.
UCLA alumni Michele Cote plays the quintessential idealistic and
naive heroine, Sara McKeon. She is determined and sensitive, driven
by passion. She is the only character who is completely innocent of
the deceptions. However, the duality of her character is expressed
in the smooth transitions between the flashback bliss of being in
love and the grief of her present situation. The warmth and genuine
love Cote brings to her role add a glimmer of hope to an otherwise
dark play.
There is instant magnetism between Cote and Stephen Robb Day,
who plays her murdered lover David Ames. Cote and Robb Day
communicate such a convincing attraction for each other as Sara and
David that it would be devastating to discover their love was
untrue. Even though David does not possess the innocent air Sara
does, the audience finds itself hoping he can be trusted for Sara’s
sake.
Also of notable mention are Daryl Hurry and John Hugo, as the
chief of police and his rookie assistant. Both are assigned to
investigate David’s murder.
Hury provides comic relief with his constant eating and dopey
admiration of his boss, but still has his own sad story to tell. He
is the closest thing to a sensitive and honest man Post presents to
the audience.
Hugo is quite possibly the most complex and interesting
character in the play. In the tradition of the hard-boiled
detective, he blurs the lines between criminality and the law.
However, he gives the part a different twist in the end.
"Earth and Sky" is an intelligent and creative production. It is
treat for those who enjoy high quality, small theater shows. "Earth
and Sky" is not predictable or cliche, but an exciting detective
thriller presented in a beautifully poetic way. Its message about
trust, love, and following what you know in your heart to be true
is strong and reaffirming, in contrast with the deep depravity of
the surrounding noir world.
THEATER: "Earth and Sky" plays at the Copperview Theater, 6468
Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, through December 13. Tickets are $15
for adults, $12 for students, seniors and groups of ten or more.
For more information call (213) 851-2075.