ReAct Theatre
(at West of Lenin)
Through July 24, 2016
Now that Seattle theaters have produced three of Annie Baker’s plays (Seattle Rep: Circle Mirror Transformation, New Century Theatre Company: The Flick, and now ReAct Theatre: The Aliens), we have a solid experience set to her style. Most important in her plays is the storytelling importance of silence.
Silence on stage is particularly difficult. An audience sits waiting for “something,” and silence is often not considered “something.” So, an important item to bring to an Annie Baker play is patience and a sense of noticing. Of all three productions, here, The Aliens is most in need of noticing.
Must of what can be discovered in the play is done in silence; either silent communication or in an action of a character that reveals a lot of inner thought. The three men in The Aliens do a lot of onstage thinking or contemplating.