Rogue Machine presents “Reel to Reel”

I’ve been reviewing theatre for twenty-eight years and writing criticism for thirty-five years in total. Early on I came up with what I think of as “the Critic’s Prayer,” which is: “Dear God, please let this play not suck.” Because the thing is, I want every show to be good. In my time, I’ve seen plenty of “unfortunate” work, but in fact the majority of what I see is either good or mixed in quality. That being said, I can generally tell pretty quickly if a production is going to work for me or not. Once in a rare while, however, my initial concerns about some aspect of a show are replaced by admiration as the production goes on. This was the case with the L.A. premiere of John Kolvenbach’s Reel to Reel presented as a co-production by Rogue Machine Theatre and HorseChart Theatre, in which my early resistance to the play was happily overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of beautiful moments and lovely performances.

In New York City, young Maggie (Samantha Klein) and young Walter (Brett Aune) meet at a party. Maggie is a sound artist, recording life to use in her performance pieces, and Walter is an aspiring filmmaker. Before long, the two are living together, squabbling, making art and creating a relationship that lasts more than fifty-five years. In their eighties, the more mature versions of Maggie (Alley Mills Bean) and Walter (Jim Ortlieb) reckon with all that passed time and the way in which Maggie’s art has preserved it.

Klein is terrific as young Maggie, bringing a sense of vivacious joy to the character that energizes the entire production. Although her role as written begins as a take on the “manic pixie dream girl” trope, Klein quickly makes Maggie into more of a realistic person. Aune has the trickier role – the person who is changed by whirlwind Maggie – but he manages to take Walter’s initial passivity and reveal his deep feelings and fears. He especially excels in one scene in which Walter turns a frustrating argument into a relationship milestone. Bean does lovely work as the somewhat mellowed mature Maggie, still splicing tapes but comfortable in her life with Walter. Ortlieb is funny and ultimately quite moving as 82-year-old Walter, content in his lifetime with his wife. He also does a pretty fair imitation of Neil Young, which is an unexpected bonus.

Director Matthew McCray, one of L.A.’s best theatre artists, once again displays his mastery, taking what could be a very complicated piece (multi-cast characters, live sound effects, a story that zips back and forth over fifty-five years) and making it technically seamless and emotionally affecting. Reel to Reel is at least partly about sound itself and how it can reveal things we might miss about life, and Jeff Gardner’s sound/Foley design creates an appropriately vivid aural atmosphere.

The one thing about John Kolvenbach’s play that didn’t work for me was the “meet cute” scene between Maggie and Walter – it felt so artificial that I had no expectation that the rest of the play wouldn’t be the same. Happily I was mistaken in this assumption, and the rest of the story is recognizably realistic, full of dramatic nuance and humor. Moments such as the one in which elderly Walter declares that Maggie is his one remaining interest (which he’s happy about) or in which he memorably describes himself as “a reduction sauce” (more intensely himself now than ever) feel like grace notes in a play filled with exquisitely wrought observations.

Reel to Reel is the kind of production Rogue Machine does so well, which are plays that combine the fearlessly theatrical with the specifically human. We’re very lucky to have this company in Los Angeles and blessed to now have HorseChart Theatre bringing its talent to bear.

Reel to Reel is presented by Rogue Machine Theatre and HorseChart Theatre at the Matrix Theatre and plays through Aug. 23. Tickets are available at https://www.roguemachinetheatre.org/