THEATER REVIEW
“Edward Foote”
Grade: B+
Through April 19. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays; 7:30 p.m. Sundays. $25-$38. Alliance Theatre (at the Woodruff Arts Center), 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-733-5000. www.alliancetheatre.org.
Bottom line: Arresting.
Rather grandiosely billed as a Southern Gothic retelling of the famous Greek tragedy “Oedipus,” the Alliance Theatre’s “Edward Foote” ultimately succeeds in a more plain and modest sense.
Make no mistake: It’s a strikingly envisioned piece of theater, staged by Chris Coleman (co-founder and former artistic director of Actor’s Express, who relocated to Portland Center Stage in 2000). More on his phenomenal design team in a bit.
At its narrative core, however, Atlanta playwright Phillip DePoy's "Edward Foote" is comparatively unassuming in its haunting evocation of a seemingly simpler bygone time and place. Set in a remote Appalachian village during the Depression and skillfully incorporating a lot of traditional Sacred Harp (or "shape-note") singing, the story and its characters feel utterly authentic.
In a bold and captivating performance, Jeremy Aggers portrays a fire-and-brimstone preacher who has a disquieting hold over his “flock.” Co-star Steve Coulter provides just the right balance of measured understatement as a stranger in their midst, with revelations to impart. The less said about those secrets the better, but the show’s foreboding tension is constantly palpable and culminates in a suitably shocking climax.
Coleman’s production oozes atmosphere. Ongoing throughout much of the play’s 80 minutes, Clay Benning’s sound design features an ominous mix of rumbling thunder and other eerie noises of the night. In isolated moments, a certain line of dialogue or a song lyric, even a footstep in an empty room, echoes to chilling effect. And dig how, as the stranger sheds more light on the preacher’s past, Seth Reiser’s lighting transitions accordingly, almost imperceptibly, from dark shadows to glaring brightness over the course of the play.
The action largely unfolds in and around a backwoods church. Working in the Alliance’s smaller Hertz studio, set designer Tony Cisek surrounds the space with windows on different sides – and, most remarkably, even atop it. Unfortunately, as with any other show that’s done in-the-round, no matter where you’re positioned in relation to the stage, you’re bound to miss something at some point, with this or that actor’s back to you during this or that scene.
DePoy is also credited as the music director of “Edward Foote,” and its handful of moody a cappella songs resonates in the powerful voices of a nine-member cast. (The highlight: a beautiful rendition of “Barbara Allen.”) Especially noteworthy are the contributions of Ann Marie Gideon and Bethany Anne Lind. Their acting performances are commanding (as usual), but if you’ve never heard either of them sing before, prepare to be overwhelmed.
That said, not all of the actors appear to be entirely age-appropriate for their roles. Even in this folkloric context, it strains credibility, the more we keep hearing that one character is too young to marry another, or to finally discover how these two are supposed to be related.
Otherwise, quibbles aside, “Edward Foote” is definitely worth a look, and a listen.
