Review: Buried Child

Nov. 10 through the 20, the Department of Theatre at California State University, Stanislaus, are presenting Sam Shepard's 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, "Buried Child," in the Mainstage Theatre. 

Co-directed by Theatre professor Jerome O'Donnell and adjunct professor Patricia O'Donnell, the play consists of three acts, seven actors and actress—and one dimly lit, eerily skeletal set. 

The economic lag of the 1970s finds a disjointed family disillusioned by the adverse fate of the American Dream. When Vince, played by Cullen Vance, brings his girlfriend, Shelly, played Stephanie Wilborn, to meet his estranged family in an old, rundown farmhouse, the crazy dysfunctional inhabitants they encounter are not the quaint Mid-Western family they were expecting. Shelly learns the sick grandfather, Dodge, played by Jerome O'Donnel, his two failure sons, Tilden, played by Benjamin Adriano, and Bradley, played by Michael Noonan, and their fervently religious mother, Halie, a harboring a dark secret. The family's mystery unfolds as Tilden unearths the remains of a child, buried long ago in the once thriving farm. 

The play does well to place real and believable characters in a recognizable setting of a farm family and tackle universal themes of emotional violence, murder, and the defragmented family by means of darkened lighting, eerie effects, and the actors' outstanding portrayals of frail, disillusioned characters.

Lighting Designer Clay Everett and Set Designer Eric Broadwater, fuse spectacular lighting and neat effects to give the set the ultimate haunted feel. The lighting throughout the play—mostly dim and scarce—adds to the sense of despair and creepy silence that allude to a feeling of immense secrecy and foreboding. The house's spindly rafters of wood allow for several tiny beams of light to shoot through onto the set, making the sunrise before Act 3 awe-inspiring. 

The neatest effect used in the play is Broadwater's projections of rain against glass placed on the front of the house. Images of rain drops hitting glass at rapid forces creates an almost static look, that along with the fast-paced cello-driven music playing in the background, adds to the undertones of surging disillusionment, the heart and bloodlines of the play. 

The small cast of actors and actresses delivers a superb performance. As the spotlight shifts from one character to the next not one actor lulls or steps out of character. 

O'Donnell is spectacular in his portrayal of the wheezing, sputtering, dying man that is Dodge. He, along with Wilborn, provide most of the humor throughout the play; O'Donnell relaying Dodge's uncouth remarks perfectly, and Wilborn delivering a premium depiction of Shelly's comic shock and disbelief. 

Audiences will fall in love Benjamin Adriano, who does a perfect impression of the crouched-over, blank-faced, complacent Tilden, perhaps the most mysterious character in the play. In the moments in which he stands transfixed and completely immobile for prolonged amounts of time, his wide-eyed, mortified stare speaks way louder than words. The final scene where makes his almost ghastly and stiff, mummified walk up the stairs to Halie's room is Goosebumps-inducing. 

Overall, "Buried Child" is a must-see. Perhaps it is even a must-see-twice, for the copious symbolism and somewhat confusing ending might leave some audience members who aren't paying close attention stumped. The effects, actors, and set all come together to create something that is quite the spectacle, something that shouldn't be missed out on. 

"Buried Child" runs this weekend on Nov. 18, 19 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 20 at p.m. in the Mainstage. Tickets are $13 for general admission, $12 for seniors, CSU faculty/staff, and military, and $10 for students. For additional information, please contact the College of the Arts Box Office (209) 667-3166