I’ve been a fan of Lee Blessing’s writing for a long time. When I saw the Essential Theatre’s production of his play, “Down the Road”, back in 1994, I told Peter Hardy (who directed it) that it was a play that disturbed women in ways they wanted to think about and disturbed men in ways they didn’t want to think about. Blessing’s plays tend to stir things up and make you think about stuff you feel, but don’t usually look at.
“Great Falls” stirs up the mysteries between love and fear, men and women, youth and middle age. Think Creon and Antigone on a road trip.
It’s funny and awful in the way that family is funny and awful. It’s about painful separation and undeniable connection and confused loyalties and transformation or, anyway, the possibility of transformation if you’re willing to go down in the dark and wrestle an angel for it, if, like Monkey Man in the play, you’re willing to walk 50 miles for it.
It’s my favorite of Lee Blessing’s plays so far.
I can’t wait to start rehearsal.
Ellen McQueen
