Intriguing “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” Offers Much Discourse and a Stellar Cast
The captivating cast of Will Arbery's “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” now playing at The Broadwater Black Box Theatre.
During the first Trump administration, I promised myself that I would stop looking at the news, not just because it was full of vitriol, hate and misinformation, but because it was everywhere I went. Even the bar that I worked at in midtown, Manhattan was constantly playing Fox News with Donald Trump front and center. I would switch Fox News to something less cloying like Family Guy, I would come back and it was back to Fox News, I would turn the TV off, and the game would go on and on and on. I get snippets of news. I know the horrors of the world, and I do what I can to get people to see the realities of where the world is heading and to get folks to register and vote, all without poisoning myself daily with the toxic re-wiring of the news media. In the immortal words of RuPaul, “you can look at the darkness, just don't stare.”
Heroes of the Fourth Turning, written by Will Arbery, plunks us down, back in the first term of President Trump after the horrors of Charlottesville, and like the eclipse that will soon loom large in the Wyoming sky, gives the audience no choice but to stare. Arbery’s world is a right-wing Christian world, so in the spirit of the theatre, I chose to “observe” rather than “immerse” myself in this world of right-wing Catholic political rhetoric. Having been raised Catholic, I know these people and was ready to be rightfully horrified. No such luck, as Arbery’s script is loaded with foibles and human fallibility of a new generation of lost American anti-heroes, desperate to master the universe, and scrambling to save the day, while being given no weapons but words.
Set on a handsomely designed, well-structured and inviting back porch in August of 2017, we begin to meet our cast. Justin, a tall and virile drink of water, has just killed a deer and lugged its carcass onto the porch, but he can’t gut it, as his hands won’t stop trembling. Nevertheless, the blood has stained the porch as we are introduced to the conservatively mechanized Teresa, the fragile Emily and Kevin, a literal dilemma-laden, walking ball of twine. After Justin’s tepid recitation of a self-penned poem, “The Grateful Acre,” and with much snickering from the audience, I began to warm up to this unusual and very daring production. “The Grateful Acre” manages to not only break the ice, but to assure the audience that they are indeed in a safe space for the evening's discourse, and that the people we are about to meet are as fallible as they perceive the left to be.
Make no mistake, each character here is etched in granite and vividly believes that what has been fed them, has nourished them. This is not a Trump-fest, either, as the majority of the people on the stage loathe him. This is a deeper dive into the right-wing vision of the world, and when the alcohol and acrimonious debate begins to pour throughout the evening, we begin to see the many faces worn by these characters, none of whom are as they seem to be. Even the ungodly loud generator that consistently tears through the air isn’t what it seems. With the entrance of Gina, the leader and mentor to this Catholic backyard enclave, it is clear that they are not going to save anything. They are all lost, and a veneer of vindication begins to lay upon the evening. From the first gunshot to the last exit, there's much for left-leaning liberals to be horrified with in this play, but in turn, what we are actually seeing is a generation, reaping the seeds of paranoia and exposing the disillusion of broken right-wing political ideology. I believe that's one of Arbery's points, as this doesn't seem so much a play as it does a voyeuristic admission of transgressions, with each one of these players well-suited and prepared for whatever cards are dealt to them, and those with an edge, slither satisfied out of this experience with their beggar’s bowl of crumbs. As many of us are quite used to by now, there is a willful ignorance to the literal monster in this house, and the blood on the porch will never be washed away.
While Arbery’s play acts as a literal slap in the face, I won’t be changing my political affiliation any time soon, and I didn’t walk away with much of a message, but the real blessing of attending this show is its stellar cast, whose performances stayed with me. I always say that a play is worthwhile when the cast leaves a crater in the middle of the stage, and this cast does just that. With Dakota Bailey’s unrelentingly merciless Teresa carrying much of the discourse, you won’t be able to take your eyes off her or take the cotton out of your ears while she hammers home her terrifying vision for America. Jordan Morgan as Justin gives a subtle and tender face to a man who is being eaten alive from the inside. Ryan Lisman’s Kevin spares not an inch of the stage from his self-loathing rants. While Kevin is arguably the most well-written character who gets what he wants in the end, whether he wants it or not, Lisman never plays for laughs, even though the script suggests it. His Kevin is to be pitied, not paraded. Dawn Alden is a powerhouse actor and her Gina is a fascinating character, representing the ideologies of past political stages, brandishing the sobering message that the other characters don’t want to hear. That leaves us Mackenna Shults as Emily, who easily wins the heart of gold award, giving a tender and pointed performance as Gina’s daughter, who is not well, but has seen the world and has lived in it. Hers is the voice of reason which rises up for a climactic monologue, spilling over into a vitriolic rage that encapsulates everything that the others could never admit.
Brendan Mulligan’s masterful direction makes "Heroes of the Fourth Turning" an easier pill to swallow. Up until this production, I was unaware of this play, which at the time of its writing, no doubt ran into pandemic timeline blackouts for many. While it remains an intrigue, the horrors of the world continue to overshadow the world of this play, which ultimately succeeds in stopping nothing.
Heroes of the Fourth Turning, written by Will Arbery, directed by Brendan Mulligan, performing at the Broadwater Black Box Theater 6322 Santa Monica Blvd. through August 30th. Presented by Catharsis Theater Collective.