by Davis Sargeant, Cadenza Reporter
4.5 out of 5 stars
Theater often presents difficult questions. “On the Verge” is no exception, and it asks several, ranging from how best to accept the future, to “What is life without a luffa?” The production, now in its second and final weekend at the Hotchner Studio Theater, deserves your time, money and consideration. The play follows the expedition of three Victorian women into Terra Incognita, the last frontier of their world. During the first act, they realize their adventure moves forward in time from 1888 onwards. The play’s main appeal is its examination of how these reasonable women perceive and interpret the future as it gradually reveals itself.
The plot always entertains. Three protagonists, Alex, Fanny and Mary (Renae Adams, Catherine Morton, and Ginny Page, respectively) describe themselves as “politopians,” travelers to places unusual, adventuring to collect impressions, record emotions and amass artifacts. After landing in Terra Incognita, “a strange new world,” they discover items like an “I Like Ike” button, a newspaper clipping from 1972 and cream cheese. Simultaneously, they absorb the future’s vocabulary, a mental sensation they dub osmosis. While new words like “Burma Shave” and “Mr. Coffee” delight them, the trio also encounters concepts like “mustard gas.” Along their way, they meet eccentric characters from the future, all played by Matt Rosenthal, whose performance creates some of the most memorable scenes. Eventually, the trio reaches 1955, “the apotheosis of the future,” and must determine the extent of the future they desire to experience.
The soul of “On the Verge” is its outstanding look at language. The three travelers speak in a comedic Victorian manner and respond to new ideas with Victorian reason; an egg beater must be a “marsupial’s unicycle.” The playwright, Eric Overmyer clearly loves the twists and turns language can take, inserting zany phrases like “Jacuzzi J’accuse,” and “Taft, you daft duo!” While the production’s plot and drama will keep you interested, you should attend this play to listen. Overmyer packs the dialogue with puns and allusions in the most unlikely places, such as a greaser who references “Kubla Khan.”
When my parents ask me to define words of today like “tweet,” “holla,” or “The Situation,” I usually cringe. Languages change rapidly; slang often identifies a generation.
While the heroines enjoy some innovations like Cool Whip and resort hotels, new words like “ground zero” and “third world“ rankle their optimism. The three must also reconsider their values, as advances in perceptions, morals and meaning accompany language change. When the trio left 1888, the United Kingdom ruled half the world. English was “the language of Empire.” By 1955, Britain was dismantling its empire to give its former subjects the right to self-determination. As another example, “mustard gas” would sound silly before 1914; the play implicitly asks which of today’s seemingly harmless words will acquire grimmer meanings in the future. The play depicts three women’s struggle to adapt to such rapid transformation.
To properly enjoy “On the Verge,” one must pay rapt attention. The play’s significance lies in its subtleties. The audience sits around the stage, and no angle provides a particular advantage. Be sure to arrive on time. The doors close shortly before the show begins, and you should not miss the first act. “On the Verge” provides an enjoyable two hours that will challenge your relationship to language and its change over time.