Bright White Light
Written & Directed by Simon Godfrey Rodriguez
Presented by Frigid Festival
April 5th, 10th, 12th & 15th
wild project (195 E 3rd St, New York, NY 10009)
Theatre festivals are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.
The FRIGID Festival kicks off tonight in NYC and approximately 65 shows will run in rep at 5 different venues. Shows will run a bit under an hour. There will be one-acts and bits of longer works in progress; dramas, comedies and musicals.
What a glorious day of theatre! Three wildly different shows in three different venues. It’s the closest you get to binge watching live theatre.
My day began gently with Bright White Light at the wild project. As you may be able to discern, it is about walking into the light. Dylan Balsamo makes an absolutely charming Grim Reaper, who cannot for the life of himself figure out why he’s thought of as grim. I certainly did not, and thought him to be a delight. He’s come for an ornithologist who has no interest in signing her name in his book. She will not go willingly. This first scene has much more do-si-do-ing than necessary making the staging feel muddled. When we cut to a new scene, I originally believed we were still with the same ornithologist at another point in her life. All of the various “person(s)” are played by Allison Stanley. I did eventually catch on that these jumps, and the change to a sweater or skirt, meant a jump to a different “person”. Having sorted these out in my mind, it was much clearer if we jumped back to a particular person.
If there is no Heaven or Hell, “what’s the point in living a good life?” the person asks. “Living it,” replies Death. Regardless of race, religion or creed, death comes for us all. There are no do-overs, no bargaining. We will not all go in old age with our accomplishments lined up neatly. But leaving the theater yesterday, we were all a little better having heard Allison Stanley sing. We can only hope that when Death comes for each of us, that he is as charming as David Balsamo.
This piece has 3 more performances in NYC’s Frigid Festival. Get to them or be left out in the cold!
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Nicole Jesson.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on April 6th, 2025. All rights reserved.