Dark Matters
by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Directed by Karen Pierce
West End Players Guild
April 5, 2024
Cory Burke, Joseph Garner, Suki Peters, Ben Ritchie
Photo by John Lamb
West End Players Guild
West End Players Guild is venturing into science fiction and mystery with its latest production. Playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s suspenseful, intriguing Dark Matters proves to be a fascinating story with an increasingly chilling tone. With strong direction and four convincing performances, this play tells its story well, with enigmatic characters and a challenge for the audience concerning what–and who–to believe.
The story is narrated occasionally by Jeremy (Cory Burke), a teenager whose parents have recently moved the family from Washington, DC to a small mountain town in Virginia. As the story begins, Jeremy’s father Michael (Joseph Garner) is concerned that his wife, Bridget (Suki Peters) has gone missing. The local Sheriff, Benjamin Egan (Ben Ritchie) is working with Michael to figure out what’s happened, and his questioning gets more and more intrusive, calling into question Bridget’s mindset and pre-disappearance activities. Meanwhile, Jeremy has been rummaging in the attic and has found writings by Bridget that suggest she really believes in aliens from outer space, rather than just researching them for a book as Michael has told the sheriff. Soon, however, Bridget returns with a story that seems too strange to be believed, and Michael grows even more suspicious, while Jeremy is more inclined to believe his mom and the Sheriff continues to ask questions.
That’s about all I can say without spoiling, and make no mistake–it’s the sense of building suspense and mystery that makes this show as effective as it is. That sense of something being “off” but not being sure what the truth actually is, and where this story is all leading, even at the very end, is what makes this play so powerful and spine-tinglingly chilling. The well-paced direction by Karen Pierce, and the strong performances of all the players make this worth seeing. From Garner’s increasingly doubtful and unhinged Michael, to Burke’s devoted, alternately hopeful and frightened Jeremy, to Ritchie’s matter-of-fact and increasingly enigmatic Sheriff Egan, to Peters’ fully convinced and persistent Bridget–the whole cast is excellent. It’s not always clear what to believe, but one sure thing is that the acting is superb, and the ensemble is cohesive and impressive.
The set by director pierce makes good use of the stage in the basement of Union Avenue Christian Church, as well as the area in front of the stage. The lighting by Jacob Winslow and sound by Morgan Maul-Smith add to the overall mysterious atmosphere and growing sense of urgency.
Dark Matters is fully engaging and compelling theatre, especially for viewers who like mystery and science fiction. It’s a human drama with an otherworldly air, and after its conclusion, questions still linger. There’s a lot to think about here. Who, and what, do you believe? That’s a question that will be surely talked about for a while after seeing this remarkably well-staged play.
Suki Peters, Joseph Garner
Photo by John Lamb
West End Players Guild
West End Players Guild is presenting Dark Matters at Union Avenue Christian Church until April 14, 2024