In a week of fear, frustration, ‘Crave’ production fits right in
In a week of fear, discombobulation and thwarted plans, Theatre Gigante’s production of “Crave” fits right in.
Among other themes, the late Sarah Kane’s play is about touch, sex and intimate contact — both the desire for it and the fear of being harmed by it. The coronavirus outbreak will likely produce those conflicting impulses in many people around here.
Director Isabelle Kralj has staged “Crave” concert style. David Flores, Kralj, Mark Anderson and Jane Kaczmarek, the “Malcolm in the Middle” star, speak Kane’s musical torrent of words with scripts on stands in front of them. This is frequently not a happy play, but the diction of all four is clear and precise, making them a pleasure to listen to.
Not only are the characters not named, it’s hard to tell sometimes how many characters there are. At times, it seems like we’re hearing the crosscutting speech of two troubled couples. Other times, it’s a daughter and mother, or a woman fighting with inner voices. Kralj often speaks in the voice of a woman who wants to die, another of the desires embodied in the title “Crave.”
Memorable lines bubble out of the flow of words, as in Kralj’s statement that she gives mixed messages because she has mixed feelings. Kane’s text also alludes to T.S. Eliot poems and the Bible.
As a spoken text that aspires to music and offers no context for its characters, “Crave” may remind some theatergoers of Samuel Beckett’s later stage works. Also, please note that “Crave” contains multiple references to rape and several mentions of pedophilia. These are not verbally graphic, but they’re emotionally intense.
“Crave” is slightly more than an hour long. As a second act, the drummerless jazz trio of saxophonist Aaron Gardner, guitarist Steve Peplin and bassist Sam Winternheimer play a sixsong set (my gold star goes to their take on the graceful Sam Rivers ballad “Beatrice”). Their set serves as a welcome cool-down from the intensity of “Crave.”