ARTS Runoff: Low Level Panic

issues of voice and disempowerment raised through daily life

Summary: Clare McIntyre’s Low Level Panic chronicles the lives of three tenants in an English boarding house. Using three women as the vehicle, McIntyre raises questions about gender, sexuality, violence and fear. This production was the senior work of Ele Woods, Jessica Spar (Acting), and Lindsey Messmore (Directing)

Good: Innovative/provocative set design, which began with Ele Woods ’11 sitting alone on stage submerged in a bubble bath. // A dynamic script delivered with just the right level of wit, despair, and sass from all three actors, which made the dialogue especially interesting to observe // Imaginative directing from Lindsey Messmore ’11, which transformed a single setting (a bathroom) into a street-side rape scene (powerfully acted by Jessica Spar ’11), a private bedroom, and a party (a particularly strong moment found Ele Woods ’11 silently washing her face alone).  // A hilariously supportive turn made by Sarah Lusche ’13, who provided a solid foil for Jessica Spar ’11 and Ele Woods ’11.

Bad: I felt as though some of the monologues were a bit lacking in depth. Some were especially effective (a discussion of sexuality by Ele Woods ’11 and a rape scene by Jessica Spar ’11) but most fell emotionally flat for me. The most poignant and revealing moments for me were found in the exchanges of dialogue between the three women, so when we departed from that, I found my mind wandering. Also, the accents were not always consistent, which made it difficult to remain situated in the setting/time period.

Broad: Low Level Panic was a delight, not only in its rich humor, but also in in the issues it raised. Though the text itself remained, primarily, surface-y and didn’t offer the audience tons of new insights, it was a pleasure to see three extremely talented ladies entertain and perform for an hour and a half.

Contextual rating: If you have something important to do this weekend,
-…do it, and see this show if you can.
-…put it off and see this show.
-…skip it and see this show.