The Devil's River
by Sledgehammer Theatre
by Sledgehammer Theatre
Deep within the dark confines of St. Cecilia's, a converted funeral chapel, currently runs The Devil's River. But fear not ghosts or even Satan himself. The dangers in this play live in the beating human heart. With just a little encouragement from the trickster Coyote (Betty Matthews), sent to earth by the gods to make life a little more interesting, the human heart is capable of all sorts of mischief. As we shall soon see …
This original play by Kirsten Brandt and co-written by members of its talent-rich cast follows three couples through various settings of nineteenth-century America including the Western frontier and Washington, D.C. Their lives are made "a little more interesting" by the trickster Coyote who instigates demoralizing, and at times deadly, scenarios based on American folklore and history.
The best-developed story involves a young woman named Charlotte (Jessa Watson) who finds herself the victim of an arranged marriage to a man about thirty years her senior. He has married young Charlotte with the hopes she will bear him some sons to complement his twenty-five daughters from previous marriages. His previous wives have all passed on -- from childbirth, mostly. And things get worse. Her new husband, Olaf Swenson (played brilliantly by Tim West who has two other good roles later on in the play), gets suckered into buying a pretty worthless piece of land out West by John Seller (Walter Murray). So Olaf takes his litter and his new bride away from her family and friends to a desolate land. But that desolate land is fertile ground for the trickster Coyote who immediately sets to work, encouraging Charlotte to follow her heart instead of the path set down for her by society. Wouldn't it be nice if she could exchange her old, overweight husband and his twenty-five screaming brats for a young man in leather chaps?
Jessa Watson is sensational throughout the play, monopolizing all the best roles. As Charlotte, she does "crazy" all too well. In the next scene she portrays a singing-challenged saloon prostitute who is easily intimidated by the main character, a gun-slinging cowgirl named Etta Seller (Melissa Supera) who has made a deal with the devil to become immortal and decides to use that power to make a name for herself through the death of others. Though not the focus of the story, Jessa manages to make an otherwise so-so story into a very enjoyable one with her bad singing and clever acting. And in just about the final act she transforms into a male congressman who has the best lines as "he" pokes fun at congress and the most recent presidential candidates (as hard as that may be to do!).
Backstage, Scenic Designer Anthony Gutowski had some fun with a stage that was slanted toward the audience and made good use of the entire space. And Mike Durst added a great deal to the mood of the play with exceptionally strategic use of lighting.
With the one great story of Charlotte and Olaf, and the other stories which are fairly good and buoyed with some great wit, The Devil's River is yet another successful addition to Sledgehammer's growing list of world premieres. The show runs through March 11, 2001.
Rob Hopper
San Diego Playbill
~ Cast ~
Betty Matthews: Coyote
Walter Murray: John Seller, Mr. Bunkerhunt
Michael Severance: Calvin Hawkins
Melissa Supera: Etta Seller
Jessa Watson: Charlotte, Little Lady, Mr. Weyerhauser
Tim West: Olaf Swenson, The Lawless Brothers, Mr. Speaker
Amber Wolfe: Lily Featherstone
Director: Kirsten Brandt
Costume Designer: Mary Larson
Scenic Designer: Anthony Gutowski
Lighting Designer: Mike Durst
Stage Manager: Pam Benjamin Ray
Composer/Sound Designer: Todd M. Reischman
