Is there more to life than making money? Is it martydom to choose a low-paying job to change the world? What is the cost of loving?

Peppermint Creek's season opener of David Hare's Skylight asks these questions and provides many different answers. It is a talky play exploring modern issues of relationships, work, and choices.

Kyra Hollis, played by the highly expressive Heather Lewis, left a life of wealth to teach in a rough English neighborhood. She is surprised by visits from the son of her ex-lover and then by her ex-lover. Both want to know what became of her and to re-enter her life.

Brad Rutledge, resplendent in a tailored suit, convinces you that Tom Sergeant is a first-class jerk then turns around and makes him sympathetic. He portrays a broad range of emotions that are perfectly believable and strengthened by his restraint.

He is matched by Lewis who handles even the excessive soliloquies with authentic passion.

If there was a weakness, it came in the opening and closing scenes. They felt out of sync, leaving you uncertain about Edward and his relationship to Kyra. Brent Wrisley gave us a confused teenager, but seemed otherwise disconnected.

The performers deserve applause for staying focused despite the rudeness of a patron who talked to his neighbors on his cell phone during the first act.

While a barn performance might suggest a primitive setting, the set was anything but. It showed extreme attention to detail, containing a functional kitchen in which a meal was cooked. The production values were so high that it was sometimes jarring when the occasional inauthentic detail slipped in.

Director Chad Badgero kept the action intense in what could have been two hours of talking heads. In doing so, he presented important questions about our roles in a demanding world.


Recommended: Yes