Following the twisted antics of anti-hero Mr. Suit as he traverses the halls of a hospital/asylum for damaged women, Brikenbrak Theatre Project’s production of The Samaritan Syndrome presents a dark examination of the human psyche—intrinsically asking us how often we hurt others (intentionally or unintentionally) while seeking to save ourselves. While the pain inflicted in the show is more often physical than mental, the unspoken metaphor is apt and visceral—and plays well in the starkly intimate confines of the Gorilla Tango Theatre. Unfortunately, the forty-five-minute script doesn’t quite hold up under scrutiny, and the female characters (though ably played by the cast) are written with disappointingly one-dimensional (and overly sexual) strokes. It’s definitely a conversation piece—with a talk-back planned after each show—but the conversation feels a little too surface-level for such disturbing material. (Zach Freeman)
Following the twisted antics of anti-hero Mr. Suit as he traverses the halls of a hospital/asylum for damaged women, Brikenbrak Theatre Project’s production of The Samaritan Syndrome presents a dark examination of the human psyche—intrinsically asking us how often we hurt others (intentionally or unintentionally) while seeking to save ourselves. While the pain inflicted in the show is more often physical than mental, the unspoken metaphor is apt and visceral—and plays well in the starkly intimate confines of the Gorilla Tango Theatre. Unfortunately, the forty-five-minute script doesn’t quite hold up under scrutiny, and the female characters (though ably played by the cast) are written with disappointingly one-dimensional (and overly sexual) strokes. It’s definitely a conversation piece—with a talk-back planned after each show—but the conversation feels a little too surface-level for such disturbing material. (Zach Freeman)
