There’s a good chance you haven’t heard of the Invisible Theatre before, unless you’re a theater student at the UA. This is an egregious error. Sadly, many students fail to appreciate the benefits that theater can offer. Might I suggest spending a night seeing “In the Mood”?
Not only was it fun to see UA professors practicing what they preach in the classroom, but the show itself was phenomenal. It seems ridiculous not to find anything that could use improvement, but “In the Mood” really covered its bases.
To start, the entire cast brought the show to life, making the audience feel sympathy for characters who deserve it.
Betsy Kruse Craig, an adjunct professor in the School of Theatre, Film and Television, was quick-witted in character and easy to relate to. Her character, Perri Rubin, is married to an unfaithful man named Derek, played by another UA professor, Kevin Black. And though it’s hard to imagine that a person could make a cheater believably sincere, even Derek comes off this way by the end.
It’s established very early on that he’s two-timing Perri by bringing another woman home to their apartment, but eventually it becomes clear Derek is in love with the person he’s cheating with. Sure, it doesn’t make what he’s done any more excusable, but props to Black for performing the rare feat of conjuring sympathy for an unsympathetic character.
The rest of the cast was impressive as well. Nick (Bruce Morganti) was excellent as a clever observer of the insanity, while Carolyn (Lori Hunt) made being “the other woman” seem like not such a terrible thing, once her motivations were understood. Edward (Jack Neubeck) and Sally (Polly Bourke Schlitz) also made an adorable and unlikely couple, with the former hilariously oblivious and the latter down to earth and real. When you consider how character-driven the show is, it becomes even more wonderful that everyone is so talented.
The set was well-done too, in a very classic sense that was evocative of a more elegant time, though it’s set in modern day. It was well-written, with plenty of humor to be found along with the very real nature it conveyed.
All in all, a fantastic effort.
— Jason Krell
