A BUMPY RIDE INTO THE AFTERLIFE
Like many small, non-profit theatre groups, NEO Ensemble Theatre is nomadic by nature, moving from theater to theater to present modern, socially relevant plays or offering online programming on a pay-what-you-want basis. Their latest, staged in-person production is the world premiere of Michael Merton’s dark comedy I’ll Be With You Shortly, directed by Carol Becker, NEO’s new Artistic Director, and produced by Alexis C. Martino and Jason Paul Evans, both of whom appear in the play.
Jerry Weil, Andrea Sojo
The 90-minute one-act deals with something we all have in common, knowing our current life will end one day. And, no doubt, you have been curious about what happens next. Perhaps it’s just a cold-hearted receptionist who merely tells you, “Welcome to the Afterlife. Take a seat. I’ll be with you shortly.”
Debra Kay Lee, Andrew Neaves
The play centers around Carrie, who after getting together with a friend, is involved in a car accident (heard offstage). She enters and immediately becomes aware of her different surroundings. Surveying her injuries, she assumes she’s probably dead. But the only person there is a rather smart-mouthed, pink-wigged temporary receptionist who explains that Carrie is not in Heaven nor Hell yet, and just needs to sit down and wait to be called.
Rebecca O'Brien, Jerry Weil, Alexis C. Martino
The receptionist is played full hilt by Rebecca O’Brien, who savors every moment she fancies herself in charge of the fate of others. You can tell she really enjoys stringing Carrie along, relishing in the delay’s reason but never sharing it until the end when Carrie’s fate is finally revealed. But every so often, the receptionist spouts highly intelligent explanations of what life is all about, amazing Carrie with her brilliance.
Rebecca O'Brien, Andrea Sojo
Joan Kubicek plays Carrie, stepping in for producer Alexis C. Martino, who was in the audience watching the show. Kubicek truthfully portrays all sides of Carrie, from her self-assuredness to her fear and confusion about what might be coming up next. But it’s Kubicek’s impatience when others are passed on before her that shines a light into Carrie’s troubled and entitled soul.
Rebecca O'Brien, Alexis C. Martino
These two women are onstage throughout the entire production; When not delivering lines, they lower their heads and sit frozen in the semi-darkness, perhaps listening to everything others are saying to gather more information or just to not distract from the other scenes being played out prior to another soul joining Carrie in the waiting room. Either way, Becker’s staging works. However, all these comings and goings are told in a rather disjointed way, much like one Saturday Night Live skit after the other, which often takes away from the overall effectiveness of the storyline. That is until a few episodic tales end with extremely poignant moments. This play really needs a bit of work to keep the action flowing at a better pace. Perhaps that would take deleting a few of the lesser characters who seem to have been added so more NEO members can participate.
Patrick Thofson, Janet Hoskins
As for Carrie — if she was here first, why is it that an assortment of strange and dead characters parade in and get dispensed ahead of her? Some are directed to a Heavenly paradise while others are on their way to some level of the Inferno. As time continues to pass, Carrie begins to worry if this is how the rest of her life will play out, much like Waiting for Godot. And after being chastised repeatedly by the receptionist, she finally just sits quietly observing the fate of others, wondering if she has been a good person or a bad person; and perhaps that indecision is causing the delay to determine her final resting place.
Rebecca O'Brien, Alex De Rita, Alexis C. Martino, Nick Benson
After first being introduced in a scene from their “real” life, the wild assortment of unusual people who walk through the Afterlife door include a lawyer, detective, hit man, FedEx driver, houseguest, surgeon, doctor, and even Albert Einstein who talks with Carrie about the irrelevance of time (a brilliantly comedic portrayal by Jerry Weil). And of course, there is a bubble-headed blonde, Cindy Johnson (Jessica Dowdeswell) and Gus the Hitman (Jason Paul Evans, adding a much-needed shot of Godfather creed), who discovers he can’t go on with killing his target, no matter the fee. You gotta have principles, after all, right?
Brittany De Leon, Jason Paul Evans
In the first of the poignant scenes, two gay men, Eliot (Andrew Neaves) and Guy (Nick Benson), who never got together in real life because neither would admit to the other about being HIV-positive, meet in the afterlife and immediately get together blissfully in Heaven. The second is a nod to atheists who are sent over to wander forever since they don’t believe in a higher power. Sooner or later, the receptionist tells the first that another will show up and then the two of them can walk through all the rooms to their hearts content as there is no destination for them either way. Thankfully, another one eventually shows up and off they go to keep each other company forever in limbo.
And after waiting for what seems like an eternity, Carrie’s mother walks through the door into the Afterlife, which allows the two women to have a heart-to-heart conversation until Carrie’s name is called. But after asking for just a few more minutes together, her mother is told her long-deceased husband is waiting for her, and she is thrilled to go and be with him again. Thus, Carrie finally finds out what awaits her, and it’s a very satisfying ending to this world premiere.
The cast also includes Janet Hoskins, Debra Kay Lee, Jason Paul Evans, Patrick Thofson, Amanda Lynne, Alex De Rita, Brittany De Leon, Andrea Sojo, Andrew Neaves, and Starr Shapiro. Costumes coordinated by Martino and Melina Ramirez, and the wigs by Tiffany Hall, add comical elements to each character’s Afterlife entrance.
photos by Michael Merton
I’ll Be with You Shortly
NEO Ensemble Theatre
The Loft Ensemble Theatre, 11031 Camarillo St.
90 minutes, no intermission
Tue-Thurs at 8
ends on November 7, 2024
for tickets ($25), visit NEO