The games people play

Heller Theatre’s “In Love and Warcraft” tackles relationships virtual and real

You have to hand it to Heller Theatre. The company is working hard to build a consistent program of fringe productions that challenge the status quo. The play currently running, “In Love And Warcraft,” is a fun, appealing production—far from the mainstream fare of many Tulsa theatres—that speaks to young adults who understand the world of gaming and the difficulties of modern relationships.

The story focuses on Evie (played by Oly Mistry), a young college student so caught up in the world of gaming that she has never had a real relationship. She has a part-time job that serves as an ironic trope: writing letters and speeches for people with relationship problems.

Things begin to get complicated for Evie when Raul (played with strong commitment by Robert Young), an actual person, enters her life. She is instantly smitten. Once they start leaning toward real intimacy, Evie is suddenly on uncertain ground, terrified of physical love. It’s a strong central story concept that allows the play to explore the psyches of Evie and several young women with different views on sexuality.

Evie’s roommate, Kitty, played with no-holds-barred exuberance by Anna Puhl, is a full-time sex bomb, completely out front about her tastes and desires, living a lifestyle too extreme for Evie to emulate. When Evie meets Charlotte (one of several characters played by the gifted Anna Bennett)—a pious engaged virgin anxiously yearning for and fearful of the honeymoon night—Evie realizes she needs a middle ground she can’t yet define. The topics of female sexuality and individual paths warrant more exploration in the play but the author, Madhuri Shekar, stops short in favor of a more facile climax and denouement.

The play would be a challenge for any director and cast—the writing demands over-the-top performances from every character except Evie and Raul. The other characters are written as if they are unknowing avatars in a game without rules (aka: life). Some of the actors manage to pull off the heightened style; others do not. Ms. Mistry is right for the role but lacks the range to hold down the much-needed center in the midst of the chaos. Evie is a confused character, but not a victim; Mistry often opts for a defensive tone, rather than finding the wise-cracking quality written as the character’s shield.  She deserves much credit for taking on a role for which she may not have sufficient life experience.

The production suffers most when stylization is critical. Late in the play, all of the characters meet in the “Warcraft Universe,” dressed as their avatars. The primary purpose of the scene is to help Evie and Raul reconcile after a sudden break-up. The playwright states that everything in this virtual world “should be stylized to resemble the actual moves” in the game. She adds: “Trust me, it's hilarious”—a statement no playwright should ever guarantee.

Hilarious it isn’t: the actors are made to hop continuously from one foot to the other, looking like people who desperately need a bathroom break. The movement in the scene greatly needs a skilled choreographer.

Director George Romero has brought together an enthusiastic young cast who work well together, despite the lack of style clarity. Much of the cast form an ensemble that will rotate through different characters for each performance—a bold and theatrical choice made by Romero, who herself has some strong insights into the material.

“What kinds of escapes do we need from ourselves, from our own lives?” she asked through email. “Evie is the very embodiment of this question, as are many of the other characters. Her trek from dependence on virtual worlds to the challenge of real life and love in real-time is a worthwhile parable for our times.”

“In Love and Warcraft” takes on the difficulties young adults face today, gamers or not. While it falls a bit short of realizing some key story elements, such as deeper insight into the gaming world and greater development of the feminist issues threaded throughout, it provides an entertaining evening. The production will appeal greatly to audiences seeking to experience something other than retreads of musicals and other innocuous choices.

Note: there is strong language in the play and a buffet of sexual references, largely for humor.

“In Love and Warcraft” concludes its run at Henthorne PAC this weekend, with showings Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit hellertheatreco.com.