constructivists ‘god of hell’ illuminates dark comedy

By MARILYN JOZWIK

Published Oct. 7, 2019

Previous shows I’ve seen at the Underground Collaborative included sets that were stark and dark.

So, I was surprised when I walked into the theater and right into brightly-lit North Woods chic. The set looked lived in and ready to sit down in – a comfy couch with a deer motif blanket, cereal boxes on the fridge, a crock stuffed with kitchen utensils, coffee brewing on the counter, an inviting kitchen table.

It is this normalcy, ordinariness, comfort that is its own character in “The God of Hell” by Sam Shepard, presented by the Constructivists.

The show, directed by Jaimelyn Grey, in another time in our history might look like farce, but instead there is something chillingly resonant in its surrealism. Presented by a superb cast, the one-act, 75-minute dark comedy is enhanced by sights and sounds that tend to detail, pulling the audience into this dystopian world that seems frighteningly close to reality. A post-show talkback with the cast and director provided insight into Shepard’s thought-provoking work.

The play starts off with Emma (Cheryl Roloff) busying herself in the very ordinary kitchen, watering her plants and preparing breakfast for her houseguest -- a friend of her husband’s named Haynes (Matthew Scales)– who has mysteriously appeared at the staid Wisconsin dairy farm.  “We hardly have any company out here,” says Emma.

Emma’s husband Frank (Robert W.C. Kennedy), who loves his cows and his vocation of caring for them, doesn’t know a lot about his friend, whom he met in his past life.  Roloff and Kennedy set the stage beautifully, with their carefree – often humorous – banter setting up the audience for something akin to a Neil Simon comedy.

But when Haynes finally appears from his basement room, his elusiveness starts creating tension. Something sinister is going on, especially when everyone Haynes touches gets a hefty shock – and, as Emma explains, it’s not the usual kind.

Emma becomes even more unhinged when a slick-talking, suit-wearing stranger named Welch (Matthew Huebsch) enters the house claiming to be selling patriotic souvenirs. Their exchanges are really quite funny, but Emma’s nervousness at Welch’s aggressiveness begins to settle in on the audience. Welch leaves, then returns, and his assertiveness turns hostile and menacing.

The show is finely-tuned, starting with stellar performances, but also creating tension with the sound of water dripping from Emma’s over-flowing plant pots, the zapping sounds and blue flashes of light from characters who have been exposed to plutonium, the cacophony of the final scene that changes the lives of these people forever. The set and costume design of Sarah Harris, lighting of Ellie Rabinowitz, sound by Colin Gawronski, properties design by Simone Tegge and Les Zarzecki’s set construction as well as other crew contributions helped give this show its captivating edginess.

Shepard wrote the show in response to 9/11 and, as the show progresses, we see what people in charge have done while subordinates lived their lives oblivious to their recklessness. It shines a light on the words of 18th century philosopher Edmund Burke, who chastised the apathy of the citizenry by saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” and, “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”

As Welch tells Emma and Frank: “You didn’t think you’d get a free ride on the back of democracy? Sooner or later you pay the price.”

This cast is so compelling. Roloff and Kennedy create real flesh and blood characters that could be neighbors, making their deteriorating situation more terrifying. Huebsch builds his Welch character’s intensity to a fever pitch that soon enough becomes horrifying; it is a riveting performance. Scales is suitably twitchy and vulnerable as he gradually peels back layers of himself and the secret government nuclear testing.

“The God of Hell” only played in New York City for a few weeks and has been largely ignored by theater companies, despite its intriguing subjects and message. One theater-goer who stayed for the talkback commented that he was from Chicago and had to come to Milwaukee to see the show.

Perhaps the fact it is just a one-act plays into that. Yet, there is so much jam-packed into 75 minutes that it felt filling and the insights from the talkback illuminated some of the serious subject matter.

If you go

Who: The Constructivists

What: “The God of Hell”

When: Through Oct. 12

Where: The Underground Collaborative, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee

Info/Tickets: theconstructivists.org