by Erin Scott~

Theatre is still magic for me. Going into a dark space and seeing a story unfold as a collective means something. The world premiere of Kathryn Graf’s Hermetically Sealed was an experience of interest. Katselas Theatre Company boasts of creating a place where play and experimentation can happen and here it did. With the encouragement of risk taking, the story starts with the opening scene, ramping up like a modern roller coaster, going from 0-90 in what feels like seconds flat. It’s a great risk but I found myself not invested enough in the characters Jimmy  (played by understudy Jonathan Griffin Sterling) and mother Tessie (Gigi Bermingham) to relate to the her frustration and anger, which left me with a feeling of discomfort. It was only after the second scene that I found I was hooked in a slow build of letting the relationship between Tessie and her son Conor (played by Nicolas Podany) reveal itself.

Hermetically Sealed is the story of a single, homebound mother who supports her family (herself and two boys) by cooking and catering for another woman, Dale Jr.’s party planning business. Like an egg which is hermetically sealed, the world of the May family home is safe and cozy but fragile to the environment outside. This is threatened when the outside support of Dale Sr., (Brendan Patrick Conner) and Dale Jr. (Julia Prud’homme) infiltrate to pick up all the treats that Tessie bakes.

One enters the theatre by Skylight Books and comes into an intimate space where set and lighting designer Jeff McLaughlin and prop master Heather Wynters set a cozy home with keen attention to detail. The hermetically sealed world consists of a small sized house where the kitchen is central and the den is a den of doom where Conor constantly plays video games. Gaming is the way that Conor escapes from the frustrations and day to day reality in the May house.

Playwright Kathryn Graf establishes Tessie’s love for opera but often the sound design choices of Christopher Moscatiello of what opera is playing through the kitchen radio in the background doesn’t punctuate the action but leaves one wondering why these notable songs were chosen.

It is always interesting at any age to see child protect and care for parent since that expectation isn’t typical. This challenge is well enacted by Podanny as Conor, where often he is the most adult among the adults he encounters, be it his mother or the Dales, Senior or Junior.

In hearing that the play was titled Hermetically Sealed, I first thought of biodomes and later in looking at the synopsis, was curious to see if this was a southern play but instead director Joel Polis and playwright Graf choose to keep it the location ambiguous.

Hermetically Sealed premieres after being chosen for development in Katselas Theatre Company’s Inkubator series and it will be interesting to see where the play develops from here. The show boasts a strong cast and an interesting story where the collective gets to peek in on a family dynamic and home for a short period of time.

Hermetically Sealed runs Friday and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm through November 20, 2011

The Skylight Theatre is located at 1816 N. Vermont, LA 90027

Ticket prices: $30 General Admission (Seniors $22.50 and Students $15) with group discounts available.

For reservations call 702 KTC-TKTS (702-582-8587) or online at ktctickets.com