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Sam (Sarah Brunet) and Nick (Phillip Hickman)

by Tahrea Maynard

On The Verge Productions Theatre Company opens this weekend with its premier of Heroine. Written by Ohio native Michael Milligan and directed by OSU alum, John Kuhn, this production centers on only two characters, Nick (Philip Hickman) and Sam (Sarah Brunet), both struggling with personal demons. Within the show’s time span of just under two hours, audience members find themselves immersed in siblings’ sordid past and present. Nick, a once promising actor now in the throes of  addiction, reveals to his sister and to the audience his reasons for hiding his pain and deepest fears with drugs. Sam, on a personal mission to save Nick from himself, is forced during his agonizing withdrawal to scrutinize her own reasons for dedicating her life to her brother’s salvation.

Both actors approach their rather melodramatic roles with sincere energy.  Those watching may be riveted by Hickman’s ability to hold his audience captive with his tragic and sometimes amusing performance as Nick. Hickman flawlessly moves through the complex maze of emotions, stepping forward to address the audiences in moments where he, in his mind, addresses the audiences of his never-written one man show. Brunet’s tendency to over-emote, however, makes her character less believable. She delivers most of her lines panting or out of breath, detracting from the sincerity of the moments where her character is truly upset or shocked. Despite this tendency, Brunet and Hickman are a compelling pair, sure to draw in their audience night after night.

The uncredited set presents Nick’s simply furnished living space, showing the dingy and bare necessities of a bachelor and reflecting the emptiness of his life. The lighting design, also uncredited, utilizes changes in color and focus to help represent changes in time and location, showing when Nick is no longer in his room but onstage, speaking to the audience.

Milligan, who made his mark on the theatre world first as an actor in critically acclaimed August: Osage County, states in the program that he seeks to create an experience that deviates from typical comfortable and plush productions.  The desire to push theatrical conventions comes through quite clearly in the play’s challenging format and is complemented by director John Kuhn’s staging. There are moments of true theatrical passion and those, however, where one feels how far Milligan pushed to make this script artificially edgy, verging on pretentious. Milligan’s words, though, fit together so well that the play feels poetic and mimics in the audience the narcotic vibe felt by the protagonist. A heavy presence of metaphor and word play emanates throughout this production- even with its title, which ties to Sam’s self assumed heroic role in Nick’s life and alludes to the very thing that devours Nick’s world, heroin.

A word of caution: Heroine may not suitable for a first time theatre go-er as it deals with mature subject matter.  The play also makes use of loud music and strobe lights, and does not follow the more traditional modes of theatrical convention.  The non-linear plot and highly figurative language may alienate some audiences.

Heroine runs December 3^rd-19^th, Fridays-Saturdays at 8 pm at Mad Lab, 105 N. Grant Ave., Columbus.  Tickets are $10. To make reservations, call 614-221-5418 or purchase tickets at http://madlab.net .

*****

Tahrea Maynard has spent the majority of her life onstage, appearing on stages with such Central Ohio theatres as Roundtown Players and Rosebriar Shakespeare Co. She also teaches Musical Theatre classes with the Charmion Performing Arts Center in Circleville.  Check out her blog here.