Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – En Garde Arts’ earnest, well-meaning WILDERNESS is ultimately dull theater

• By drediman
• November 1, 2016
• No Comments

The cast of “Wilderness” at Abrons Arts Center

I recently had a chance to catch Seth Bockley and Anne Hamburger’s Wilderness, which is currently running at Abrons Arts Center. This earnest and well-meaning play is a pseudo-documentary piece of theater (reminiscent of the investigative theater-making done by The Civilians) about a group of troubled kids who are hijacked, with the consent of their parents, to go on a remote “reform” camping trip. The play also focuses on these kids’ turbulent relationships with their parents. While actors are used to portray the youths, actual footage of the real life parents are sprinkled courageously throughout the show.

Wilderness is fluidly and contemplatively directed by Mr. Bockley with an emphasis on Steven Hoggett-esque choreographed movement. Design-wise, the production heavily and effectively relies on a bevy of video and projections, which were designed by the busy Mikhail Fiksel (he also did the sound design). Although the show is nicely packaged – particularly the mentioned multi-media bits – and the young cast is well-matched for the material, I ultimately found the overall experience to be rather dull, theatrically-speaking. I suspect it’s a combination of the languidly-paced direction and the monotonous, angsty tone of the material. I wish I had more patience for the story the play was trying to tell. As it is, I had issues getting drawn into this Wilderness.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

WILDERNESS
Off-Broadway, Play
En Garde Arts at Abrons Arts Center
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 13