“This is a little more complex than a play.”
“Is it?”
Who can even remember the last time that they had to quote banter between God and an angel or characterizations of them for that matter? It doesn’t matter, for in this case it seems appropriate. This was the perfect description for Jared Mezzocchi’s ’07 “One Stoplight in Hollis,” which played six sold-out shows at the Quick Center’s Wien Experimental Theatre this past week.
For those of you who have not been following the rather positive publicity that Mezzocchi’s last collegiate hurrah has received, “One Stoplight in Hollis” was created as a combination production of both film and theatre, an amalgamation that isn’t done often.
In fact, at a talk-back session following one of his shows, Mezzocchi commented on criticism he recieved for his ideas.
“Far too often did I hear people say, ‘You can’t do both [film and theatre], pick one.'” His response: “No.”
This ultimately proved to be the best answer. Stoplight is captivating. It was impossible not to notice how much sheer attention was being paid to a very emotionally-intensive plot, which revolved around the death of a family man and the resulting troubles that broke out in the realms of the temporal and the divine.
The best way to describe this sensation is to transcribe the moments which led up to the intermission. During that particular scene, a shotgun was almost (key word: almost) torn away from a suicidal widow, when all of a sudden the house lights quickly went dark and a loud gunshot sounded. The light returned, the stage had been cleared and the audience did not know what to do. They were stunned, almost entirely throughout their ranks.
Equal credit was earned by the Stoplight’s acting talent, all of whom were on par with the script’s dialogue. Pete Smith, a New Jersey fireman who auditioned after responding to an Internet casting call, was brilliant in his Fairfield unveiling as Michael, the protagonist. The character of God, portrayed by none other than the theatre department’s Jon Leiseth, had a commanding presence. The only character that would break the fourth wall, God made the audience laugh when he was happy and silenced them and when he was angered. Students were not left out, either. Tess Brown ’07 excelled at being perky, all the while maintaining an astute gravity of character, as the angel Sophia.
Aside from being a success, perhaps the greatest honor that Stoplight has received is that it was the final theatre-related show that is being shown at Fairfield until next semester, and Jared’s final project at Fairfield as an undergraduate. It sends out a strong message to the Fairfield community: to be bold in your endeavors. Experiment with the untried, break the customary boundaries of your work and venture forth with your visionary ideas. In this regard, Mezzocchi has proven himself adept, so keep an eye on him.
Mezzocchi is going places, and I imagine Stoplight will follow in spirit if nothing else.
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