Paris Junior College presented the final play of the Texas IV Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival with its lackluster production of Landford Wilson’s “Angels Fall.”
Set in the desolate plains of New Mexico, “Angels Fall” examines six different souls and how their lives are shaped through actions, not words. Niles and Vita Harris are making their way to Arizona, but get side tracked when a sign indicates that a bridge is out.
Mistakenly, they run into a church to use a phone but wind up staying due to a chemical spill. Salvatore “Zappy” Zappala and Marion Clay also stumble upon the church while driving to the airport. Don Tabaha and Father William Doherty are residents of the church, with the Father more accepting of his fate than his adopted daughter, Don.
Stuck in a kind of purgatory, this newfound community bares its soul. With truth comes honesty and honesty leads to conflict. The hours and days they are stuck together lead to acceptance and reflection.
An amazing story by the playwright Landford Wilson was not the problem in this production. Such diverse characters interacting together gave magical qualities to the human spirit.
The problem was the acting. Youth and inexperience do not bode well with such dynamic roles. The production is going to suffer when characters do not look a day over 18 and are portraying middle-aged adults.
At times, the characters seemed to spout their lines without meaning or intrigue and were guided by notes to spots where they were supposed to stand.
The set accomplished what it was supposed to, nothing on a grandiose scale, and it didn’t give the actors many levels to play from. It was singular and bland.
Lighting was basic and the sound, at times, was too overbearing, drowning out the actors.
Directed by Texas A&M University-Commerce alumnus Alex Peevy, the production failed to achieve a sense of urgency. No stakes were raised, and the characters were flat. This withdraw of emotion did not connect with the audience, who fell asleep throughout most of the show.
Unless you want a good nap, do not attend PJC’s production of “Angels Fall.”