Sarah Flood in Salem Mass. Flea Theater (see Off Broadway). By Adriano Shaplin. Dir. Rebecca Wright. With ensemble cast. Running time: 1hr 30mins. No intermission.
Sarah Flood in Salem Mass: In brief
The Bats travel back to 17th-century Massachusetts for a spell in a revisionist historical play by the Riot Group's Adriano Shaplin. Rebecca Wright directs a cast of 22 for the premiere.
Sarah Flood in Salem Mass: Theater review by Helen Shaw
A certain shagginess hampers the deliriously clever Sarah Flood in Salem Mass, the latest historical dream play by Adriano Shaplin. It's a shame, too; the text has serious legs under its homespun apron.
In the far future, interventionist, time-traveling teen Sarah Flood steers her craft for ye olde Salem, where her rescue mission further confuses the Escheresque village. Is it then? Is it now? It's both—Laura Indian (Isabella Sazak), for instance, is on the all-pumpkin diet. Sadly, execution problems lessen the impact; as witchy plots intensify, Sarah Flood unbuckles like a faulty Pilgrim shoe. Why? Per Shaplin's Reverend: “A flock without a shepherd is a bunch of random sheep.” Pardon the sheep (the Flea's non-Equity ensemble, the Bats), since many strike individual sparks in Shaplin's pewter-coated comedy. Instead, point your accusing finger at director Rebecca Wright. Labored choreography and muddy storytelling earn her at least a light dunking.—Theater review by Helen Shaw
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