Review: Reckless
Montgomery college wraps up its fall theatre season with Reckless. This erie and thought provoking show follows its star vehicle Rachel, played by Geocel Batista, as she experiences a life changing holiday run-in with a hitman.
Batista is practically on stage the whole run of the show and never once is rattled by the intensity of her roles’ weight. With genius comic timing and a knack for building a character with a couple of screws missing in her noggin, she demands the audience’s attention and grips them by the shirt collar.
Accompanying Batista is a fluid and ever changing ensemble of players who have crafted memorable characters.
The show was under the direction of college faculty member, Dennis Mulligan, an alumni of the theatre program. When asked about the challenges he faced bringing Reckless to life, he quickly spoke about the transitions and the difficulty of keeping the show moving forward without breaking the illusion.
Although Reckless has been described as a “Christmas fable” by the New York Times, Mulligan views the holiday as a motif of the show and with his raw direction and bold vision, he urges the audience to dig for a deeper meaning.
Mulligan’s most recent direction credit with the college is The Skin of Our Teeth. The actors give a sense of being at home on the stage and gift the audience with a strong delivery of the story. This is due to Mulligan’s approach, which has been described by some of the cast as “nurturing” and “freeing”.
Batista is not the only woman of notable acting in the cast.
She is joined by Albertha Joseph, Kelsi Jenkins, and Ignacia “Nacha” Alfonso who all demonstrate a budding mastery for their craft. Between the four dynamos, they create women with a genuine intrigue and thirst for the unobtainable. From a phonie deaf person, corrupt bookkeeper, goal driven psychiatrist, and raving game show audience members, the ladies of Reckless are unstoppable.
The men of the show have no problem keeping up with the woman, proving to have a natural ease on stage. Two men in particular stand out amongst the ensemble and they are James Nelson and Shaq Stewart. Both are blessed with the ability to reach the core of their scene work and truly commit to intention.
The tech elements do not miss a beat in Reckless.
The set, lights, and costuming bring this mystifying realm into the walls of performing arts center. A huge, lit Christmas present proscenium topped with a red bow frames the intricate boxes and set pieces that move and spring to action like a game of tetris.
There is no telling what will move next or how but it is wonderful to watch. The lights are simple and clean and help guide the audience’s attention as the story unfolds.
The costumes were fun and colorful which create a nice foil to the shows dark undertones.
Reckless ran from Nov. 12-15 at 8:00p.m. (Sunday matinee at 2:00p.m.) in the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts on the MC Rockville Campus.
