SHADOWLANDS by Savanna Harvey (Pretentious Productions). At Annex Theatre. July 11 at 12:30 pm, July 13 at 7:30 pm, July 15 at 3:30 pm, July 16 at noon. See listing. Rating: NN
This ambitious and complex solo drama about biomedical research is performed mostly in the dark with only a few simply lit elements struggles, despite writer/actor Savana Harveys deep engagement with the subject matter.
Set in a stem cell research lab, Harveys story finds her constantly switching between characters and, most intriguingly, scales playing a scientist, a pregnant cancer patient, a research mouse and a shiny blob of tissue (the most visually compelling).
One of the biggest problems is that the frequent character transitions take way too long, preempting any momentum, pace or flow to the narrative. Another issue is that narrative clarity is sacrificed in an unsuccessful attempt to build mystery and intrigue more structure and context is needed upfront for later developments to really resonate.
Shadowlands poses some big, important questions about different standpoints and knowledge practices in the life sciences, but a significant rework of the material is needed for it to have the desired impact.
