Milwaukee Chamber Theatre brings audiences into an emotional jungle with its latest offering. In the Milwaukee premiere of Greg Pierce’s Slowgirl, Peter Reeves and Sara Zientek play uncle and niece in the lush solitude of Costa Rica. A fog of dreams, personalities and personal histories gradually fades into something altogether more complex that asserts itself in the course of a little over an hour and a half.
With graceful, little hints at emotional dynamics of bewildering complexity, Slowgirl thrives in the intimate, studio black box of the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre under C. Michael Wright’s direction. Reeves is calmly pleasant, his charmingly awkward lack of sociability early on tempered by genuine concern for his niece. It’s a complex portrayal of someone who has come to live between the lines. Zientek plays a character bursting with restless excitement and energy. Her character has come to the jungle to escape something she feels is inevitable. Her aggressive and crude friendliness makes for an intoxicating contrast to Reeves’ reserved warmth.
A few days play out over the course of a very brief time on stage. Layers of identity are gradually peeled back in ways that not only hold the attention for the entire run of the show but also delve into the deeper matters of intention, consequence, desire and guilt.
Through March 20 at Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets visit broadwaytheatrecenter.com or call 414-291-7800.
