A review of Denver's Equinox Theatre Company's production of "Frozen"

Photo: Arthur Pierce as Ralph Wantage, by Hillary Tae

As your usual Denver Theatre Examiner, Deb Flomberg, is on the board of directors for the Equinox Theatre Company, she asked me if I would see the show and review it for her. I agreed, and last night I caught their first show at University of Denver.

Frozen is a play written by Bryony Lavery centering around three main characters. Ralph Wantage, an intensely abused and dangerous man who has a history of killing little girls, Nancy Shirley, the mother of Rhona, who may be one of his victims, and Agnetha Gottmundottir, the American psychiatrist who travels to England to study Ralph. According to their website, the synopsis states, “One evening ten-year-old Rhona goes missing. Her mother, Nancy, retreats into a state of frozen hope. Agnetha, an American academic, comes to England to research a thesis: "Serial Killing—A Forgivable Act?" Then there's Ralph, a loner who's looking for some distraction. Drawn together by horrific circumstances, these three embark on a long, dark journey which finally curves upward into the light.”

Photo: Maggie Tisdale and Kate Smith, by Hillary Tae

This play relies heavily, entirely on the talent of its actors, since the beginning and parts of it thereafter are monologues. It is truly vital for the audience to be pulled in and want to listen to their stories, rather than fall into the trap of feeling lectured. Fortunately for the Equinox Theatre Company, they managed to find complete professionals for the roles.

When the play opens, Maggie Tisdale, playing Agnetha, enters and is immediately charged with setting the tone. Agnetha is busily trying to convince herself that this is a casual trip, nothing to worry about, but it’s soon obvious that she’s carrying a great deal of emotional weight on her shoulders and she breaks down. After that, the audience is treated to Arthur Pierce and Kate Smith as Ralph Wantage and Nancy Shirley. Nancy has become a ghost, longing for any tidbit and clinging to every leftover fragment of her daughter, and Kate’s performance of her character arc through the play truly anchors the entire show. She is the rise and fall of the entire production. Her performance of Nancy’s evolution from disbelief to fury to forgiveness is wonderfully natural. Kate Smith draws from the audience a natural sympathy for Nancy’s struggle and a genuine respect for her strength, which never comes across as self-aggrandizing.

Photo: Arthur Pierce as Ralph Wantage by Hillary Tae

Maggie Tisdale relieves the heavy tension with a few funny moments throughout the play. Her character begins intently scientific as she observes and instructs about her object of study, but soon becomes more empathic and emotional towards the brutal Ralph. Maggie allows her to pop back and forth with grace and ease.

Arthur Pierce is truly captivating and astounding as the deeply disturbed Ralph. From the moment he enters the stage the audience is stunned at the level of characterization that went into his performance. Every nuance, every word spoken seems a struggle for his character to remain steady. Arthur is meticulous and keeps what could be a disastrously overdone performance in appropriate check. He soars through the scenes, captivating the audience with Ralph’s journey from unaware of any wrongdoing to understanding with great skill and his tortured soul is the pulse of this show.

This production in particular is very heartfelt and extremely dedicated. During the intermission, the ceiling began to leak due to the heavy rainstorm, and when the actors came back onstage, they had to act beside the dripping wall. I was concerned that this may derail the audience’s ability to focus, but as soon as the lights came up I forgot all about the rain. Until I had to walk to my car, that is. I would recommend this performance in particular to anyone who enjoys quality theatre in Denver. This show is most definitely R rated, so leave the kids at home. The Equinox Theatre Company’s production of Frozen, directed by Colin Roybal, is running every Friday and Saturday from July 10th to August 8th at 7:30 pm at the Margery Reed Hall on the University of Denver Campus. Tickets are $10 each, and reservations are strongly recommended. Call (720) 984-0781 for reservations. 

For more information, click here: www.equinoxtheatredenver.com/

To learn more about “Frozen”, click here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_(play)

To read our Denver Theatre Examiner, Deb Flomberg’s interview with Arthur Pierce, click here: www.examiner.com/x-474-Denver-Theater-Examiner~y2009m7d9-Acts-and-Answered-Arthur-Pierce