All That Remains
by JM Chambers
Directed by Brittanie Gunn
Tesseract Theatre Company
July 23, 2022
Nyx Kaine, Sherard E. Curry, Victor Mendez
Photo by Brittanie Gunn
Tesseract Theatre Company
The second, and final, play in the Tesseract Theatre Company’s 2022 Summer New Play series is an in-depth look at the impact a great tragedy has on individual survivors, on relationships, and on an entire community. All That Remains deals with its heavy subject matter in a credible way, and the production features some excellent performances by its strong cast. It’s a well-structured play, for the most part, focusing on the direct human impact of a public tragedy, and it’s a fascinating, ultimately emotionally moving production.
This play doesn’t take any time to get to the drama. In fact, it starts in the middle of a loud, emotional argument between married couple Gary (Sherard E. Curry) and Elaine (Melody Quinn). Both are distraught for different reasons related to the same event–Gary is refusing to leave the house or do much of anything as he is still dealing with immense grief and trauma following a mass shooting at the high school where he was a teacher. Elaine is upset because she’s at the end of her rope, not knowing how to help Gary and still dealing with her own grief over both the shooting and another personal tragedy a few months before the shooting. She’s trying to encourage Gary to get out and try to move on, hanging out with friends Maggie (Morgan Maul-Smith) and Dylan (Luis Aguilar), but the one attempted get-together doesn’t go well. Gary, for his part, knows on one level that he needs to do something, but is still too overwhelmed, as he continually deals with flashbacks to the shooting and still hears the voices of victims he was close to–his best friend and fellow teacher Melody (Nyx Kaine) and Alejandro (Victor Mendez), one of his students. The emotions and issues continue to spiral out of control, until Elaine feels forced to take a drastic action to help Gary, which at first only appears to make things worse. Elaine, for her part, is also a sounding board for Maggie, who has lost one of her twin sons in the shooting and is dealing with how to help the surviving son. Much of the focus is on Gary, who has a huge struggle ahead of him, and Dylan proves to be a surprising resource of help in that regard. It’s a long, slow road as Gary and Elaine try to work their way back toward one another, but are there feelings and efforts enough? And what of the rest of the community that has been devastated by this tragedy?
This is a story that pulls no punches in its depiction of deep grief and trauma resulting from tragedy. Emotions are laid bare, and there are many sensitive issues dealt with–such as violence, mass shootings, mental illness, the loss of loved ones, stillbirth, and more. It’s an intense show, but it’s well structured for the most part. There are some somewhat confusing timeline issues at times, but mostly, this is a compelling story centered on the various effects that a mass shooting can have on individuals, families, friendships, and whole communities. The focus here is highly personal, with little to no mention of the political debates that often surround these tragic events. This is about Gary, and Elaine, their circle of friends, and their small Nebraska town, dealing with an overwhelming event that none of them had expected. It shows how they try, fail, and hopefully eventually succeed in picking up the shattered pieces of what had been and making a way in life.
The direction and performances are excellent, as the build-up, tension, and road to recovery are shown with all the messiness and difficulty of grief, but also with an ever growing sense of hope in the midst of the struggle. As Gary, Curry gives a credible, emotionally resonant performance, as does Quinn as Elaine. Even throughout their intense struggles, they portray a couple that one wants to succeed. Aguilar and Maul-Smith are also convincing in support as Dylan and Maggie, who each have their own struggles to relate. Kaine and Mendez are also especially memorable as Melody and Alejandro, whose appearances seem to mark different levels of Gary’s struggle. It’s an especially cohesive ensemble, and the writing is also sufficient in that even with such a small cast, the overall sense of community and collective grief process of a whole town is clearly evident.
The production values are simple but effective, with a basic set by director Brittanie Gunn that forms an appropriate background for the action, and excellent lighting by Kevin Bowman that emphasizes the stark simplicity of the setting and centers on the performances. All That Remains may be intense, but it also has an undercurrent of persistent, even stubborn striving for hope. It’s another promising new play from Tesseract.
Melody Quinn, Morgan Maul-Smith
Photo by Brittanie Gunn
Tesseract Theatre Company
Tesseract Theatre Company is presenting All That Remains at the Marcelle Theatre until July 31, 2022