Theater Review: 'A Number' by Backyard Theater Ensemble

By Nancy Sasso Janis

NEW BRITAIN - Backyard Theater Ensemble is presenting a production of Caryl Churchill's "A Number" through Saturday. The members of this group volunteer to create theater that asks all ensemble and audience members to confront the realities of our world, and this play certainly lives up to that mission.

The performances of “A Number” are being presented at Hole in the Wall Theater in New Britain. The thought-provoking play was directed by Teresa Langston.

For a number of years, Langston has had a personal plan to direct works written by women or featuring excellent roles for women. While ‘A Number’ does not offer the latter, it was written by a female playwright with whom she has become obsessed. Langston’s first directorial gig was at Hole in the Wall back in the nineties with “The Devils,” and this summer she will direct for the theater once again with Robert O’Hara’s “Barbecue.”

On the surface, Churchill’s play examines a father’s painful confrontations with his three identical sons.

On a deeper level, the complicated ethical questions surrounding cloning technology and the nature of the human spirit produce a clash of nature and nurture. The playwright brings into question the morality of both parenthood and science. She envisions this work in a stark, void space that allows the spotlight to fall on the harsh reality of ethical parenting.

This is an emotional story that jumps right in with the first few lines of the first scene. The dialogue is rapid, with fits and starts, and often overlapping. The script offers no stage direction, no specified props, not even specific entrances and exit, so these are left up to the director. Langston’s approach was to work “very organically with the staging, finding our movement naturally as the process revealed it.”

The director also writes in her Director’s Note that the result will be that “each show will be unique, unrepeatable and exciting.” While I enjoyed the brief levity of the final scene, I found the ending surprising in that it wasn’t particularly surprising, especially following the previous often shocking scenes.

Under Langston's direction, the chemistry between the two actors that she deems “courageous” is palpable. The two have clearly risen to the many challenges of their roles in what is essentially a melancholic portrayal of a man’s love for his child.

Actor Ryan Wantroba takes on the roles of the clones, Bernard #1, Bernard #2, and Michael Black. This very talented community theater actor has appeared in six previous Backyard Theatre productions and many more with Hole in the Wall. Wantroba is faced with the challenge of portraying the three very different sons through three distinct costume changes. It is a tribute to the actor’s ability that he could have made the characters crystal clear even without the changes in costumes. The slightly long spaces between the scenes are necessary so that Wantroba may accomplish his complicated costume/hairstyle changes backstage.

Mike Zizka portrays the deceptive father that must grapple with a “father-sons” relationship like no other. Zizka has been involved as a performer or director in over 100 theater productions around Connecticut, including six at Hole in the Wall, but this is his first role with Backyard Theatre Company.

The production team includes John Bosco as the stage manager and Evan Seide as the set consultant for the simple scene of a couch, chair and coffee table. There is an intricate wall hanging behind them and an interesting lighting fixture above. Hilary Lang was in charge of the very effective lighting design and Tina Parziale worked on the sound design that includes some tense music for the time between the five scenes.

“A Number” is presented without intermission and runs approximately one hour. Tickets are available at https://hitw.org/tickets/. Admission prices are $25 for general admission and $20 for seniors and students.

Remaining shows on Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. will be presented at Hole in the Wall Theater, 116 Main St. in New Britain. Masks are required for all volunteers and audience members regardless of vaccination status. The production team thanks you for helping keep the actors, volunteers, and patrons safe.

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