By Manning Harris
“Let’s swim out tonight, love, it’s our turn to try—parked beside the ocean on our moonlight drive.” You may recognize Jim Morrison’s lyrics to the Doors’ “Moonlight Drive.”
Did you know that the Rolling Stones’ legendary album “Exile on Main Street” was largely created in a basement in a chateau in the south of France?
And what, you may ask, do these factoids have to do with “Broadsword,” Actor’s Express’ new play about an also-ran rock band of the same name?
Nothing—and perhaps a lot: “Broadsword,” written by Marco Ramirez and directed by Freddie Ashley, has a resonance and ambience that crackles (sometimes audibly) with creativity, failed collaboration, youthful ambition, blocked genius, and—sympathy for the devil.
But the band in question here is definitely not the Stones or the Doors. No, the boys of Broadsword are a tacky, might-have-been metal band from Rahway, New Jersey; they broke up years ago, but their one truly charismatic, talented lead guitarist stayed put in the basement where they used to practice and delved deeper and deeper into arcane chord combinations and tonal structures. He also left tapes.
Then he disappeared and is presumed dead. The occasion of this play is his memorial service; or more precisely, the “after party,” which occurs in the aforementioned basement, full of memories, recriminations, regrets, rekindled ambitions, and, uh, a set of charred footprints on the cellar carpet.
Say what? You’ll have to see the play. The guys in the band create a finely wrought ominous tension: They are Dolph Amick (Vic), Bryan Brendle (Tony), and Justin Welborn (Nicky). All are, by turns, intense, moody, needy, and edgy; and they are suberb. Our resident chick (sexist, I know; I’m a child of the 60’s) is Stacy Melich (Becca) in a lovely, finely-tuned, delicate performance.
There also appears a mysterious musicologist, Dr. Thorne (Rial Ellsworth), who allegedly carried on a secret correspondence with Richie about the possible black magic power of certain musical structures. This is a bold, almost reckless artifice by the playwright, but Mr. Ramirez makes it work.
(I just noticed that the setting given in the program, also the playwright’s fancy, is “tomorrow night.” Interesting.)
There’s one more character, called Man in White, played by Chris Kayser. He seems to be a rock and roll impresario with a peculiarly menacing omniscience. Mr. Kayser opens the play with a brilliantly delivered monologue, full of fire and music and mischief, that quite intoxicates. This man is not often called Atlanta’s best actor for nothing. What an audition piece this would make: Acting students, take note of this performance.
The playwright, a 27-year-old graduate of Juilliard, will be a truly important force in American theatre if we don’t lose him to television, for which he’s already writing. That’s okay, Mr. Ramirez; just come back to theatre, please. Director Freddie Ashley has done a truly masterful job; and scenic designer Jon Nooner’s basement is rock and roll heaven.
Philosopher Lao-tzu says: “People usually fail when they are on the verge of success. So give as much care to the end as to the beginning; then there will be no failure.” That’s the lesson to the surviving band members—and to all of us. “Broadsword” runs through February 12.
For tickets and information visit, www.actors-express.com. To reach Manning Harris, email fmanningh@gmail.com.
