Review by Katrina “Kat” Reynolds
ROPE presented by University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music through February 14th. I attended the final matinee performance.
Homage to Stu by student cast members of ROPE presented by CCM.
What screams “Valentine’s Day Weekend” better than a murder mystery? In a limited engagement, audiences were able to see ROPE by CCM alum Amy Berryman and CCM educator Brant Russell adapted from the Patrick Hamilton play. The plot is simple: two college classmates decide to commit the “perfect murder” and then host a party while the victim’s body remains tucked away, but in plain sight.
Mr. Russell also serves as the production’s Director with the help of student Assistant Directors Kiki Hellerman and Bryce Nevison. Pacing was rather uneven, with some moments of uncontrolled chaos (i.e. talking over one another so that no one was properly heard or understood) countered with some slower cadence. In addition, blocking felt rather stagnant at times – and with such a grand set by Scenic Designer Charlie Calvert, opportunities were missed. However, one set of stage pictures in particular tickled me as someone who was in college in the Y2K era herself: the physical homage one of the killers paid to Stu Macher from the 1996 film Scream. Kudos to Costume Designer Julia Schillaci for mirroring Stu’s “final look” from the movie to bring that home.
In truth, I think the script is problematic and missing some key elements: the so-called motive to kill their classmate is never discussed and no character is fleshed out enough for the audience to have any proverbial skin in the game. Other than basic human decency, I am not sure why we are supposed to care about any of the partygoers or the victim herself. In addition, I do think it was problematic to change the victim to a female. It is evident the authors were trying to make a point (there are references to the “Final Girl” trope), but I do not believe they hit the mark on that one.
Due to the vagueness of the script, the actors did not have much with which to work. Performances were certainly fine as we have come to expect from CCM students, but lacked depth due to the 2-dimensional arcs they were given. However, the energy of the performing artists was cohesive and they acted as a true ensemble.
In summary, the production had potential – and while it didn’t resonate with me personally, the audience was almost entirely enthusiastic and supportive. While I do think some re-writes to up the suspense would be helpful, the execution of the text currently in place was certainly satisfactory.
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