‘Bug’ – Written by Tracy Letts. Directed by Taylor Stark. Starring and creative contributions from: Ty Hendrix, Chloe Kolbenheyer, Lucas Connor, Jack Essner, and Jen Platt. Witch Hunt Theatre’s ‘Bug’ ran from June 26th – June 29th.
By Charlotte Snow
One of the many reasons I never liked watching sports is that the act of being a spectator always makes me want to play rather than be cooped up, sitting in the bleachers. Conversely, I develop the same urge when I watch live theatre – with the difference being that I’m reasonably good at theatre and I would get dismembered if I attempted any sport. So you can imagine how amped up I felt watching Witch Hunt Theatre’s immersive and site-specific production of Tracy Letts’ Bug.
Years before Tracy Letts wrote August Osage County, his claim to fame that went on to garner five Tonys, a Pulitzer, and a film adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, he wrote Bug in 1996. The five-hander play is set in an Oklahoman motel room inhabited by part-time waitress, full-time grieving mother, Agnes White. Her life gets flipped upside down when her friend R.C. brings a stranger under her roof. This stranger, Peter, who was once in the military, begins to develop a romantic bond with Agnes. But this isn’t your normal love story… Peter begins to find tiny bugs in the apartment that eat and burrow under his skin. Eventually Agnes develops these bites as well… but no one besides Peter and Agnes can even see the bugs, leaving the audience with the unsettling question of whether the bugs are specifically targeting the couple or if Agnes had fallen prey to Peter’s possible delusions?
It’s a simple yet genius conceit of the director, Taylor Stark, to stage this script inside of an apartment where the audience sits in chairs along the walls. Only a few moments go by where the audience is no more than seven feet away from the actors. Although it’s a manageably tight space, it never feels claustrophobic and heightens every moment. My partner, who attended this production with me, said the inherent closeness made the experience feel like “theatre-plus” and I couldn’t agree more. Every moment was perfectly curated and even the quieter, more naturalistic scenes were just as engrossing as those of high tension or horror. Even the simplest moments, where characters look out the window or enter from the front door or exit into the “offstage” bedroom, felt gripping.
My only minor critique is that I do wish there were a clip-light or two used to add a bit of color during some moments to elevate the mood (although I do see how this could detract from the tone and style that Stark, and her team were set on establishing.) And while the design was simple in nature, it was far from minimal execution.
As brilliant as this non-traditional staging might be, it would be doomed if the actors weren’t so present and committed. There’s an old phrase that acting is behavior, (which I wholeheartedly stand by), and what I witnessed was behavior at its most distilled. A factor is that they are essentially in a fully realized set (which feels more cinematic rather than theatrical), but that’s not to take away from the fact that these are truly some of the finest actors in Boston. Ty Hendrix’s Dr. Sweet plays a small but significant role that chillingly complicates the narrative. Jen Platt as R.C., a southern lesbian biker, has such a convincingly natural dialect that it gave me, a former southerner, nostalgic flashbacks. Jack Essner plays Jerry Goss, Agnes’ abusive former husband, with a swagger and menace that always catches the audience’s attention. Lucas Connor deftly portrays both the mask of kindness that Peter wears as well as the hurt and resentment that Peter hides away. Chloe Kolbenheyer has the herculean task of portraying the protagonist, Agnes, who swiftly and gracefully switches from resounding despair to unwavering ferocity within seconds. Each actor, no matter the varying size of their roles, seemingly effortlessly embodied their characters, stayed true to them, and somehow managed not to trip over the audience’s feet (which was also a feat in and of itself.)
While this immersive site-specific horror production was certainly my cup of tea (as I love an untraditional shake-up by any means), I’m cognizant that it might not be everyone else’s. Sadly though, this magnificent production ran for only one weekend so there aren’t any more chances to see Bug. However, if this is your scene or you’re at all intrigued by this review, I highly recommend that you stay tuned for Witch Hunt Theatre’s next productions (especially as ‘spooky season’ is just around the corner.) While Bug pushes past the bounds of what theatre is, it is also simultaneously one of my favorite theatre-going experiences and has crawled its way under my skin and into my heart.
For more info, visit: www.witchhunttheatre.com
