by James Wilkerson

‘Wild Horses’ –  Written by Allison Gregory. Directed by Courtney Sale. Costume Design by Lee Viliesis. Presented by Merrimack Repertory Theatre through October 3.

Watching Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s Wild Horses,  I couldn’t stop turning the physical room into a metaphor for the performance. Good lord did I try to, but when it’s staring you so nakedly in the face, see how well you manage to look elsewhere. The Rep has chosen to venture out from its  home theater for Alison Gregory’s one-woman play, utilizing different locations around Lowell for performances, (an at least partly COVID-related decision as much as an artistic one, I’m sure). I caught the show at the Whistler House Museum of Art where an auditorium was set up in one of the galleries. There we sat, surrounded on all sides by landscapes and still lifes. Large gilded frames encompassed each painting with at least a foot of wall space on either side. The placement serves a purpose; it ensures that viewers can’t make the error of thinking that any of these images are formally connected to each other. And there you have it. Greggory’s play is a lot like that. Much happens to the protagonist in this tale of adolescence long past but there’s a lack of connective tissue you can’t help but feel. Certainly, the play is convinced that it’s saying something, but try to pin down just what that something is and I think you’re going to stumble.

Read more “Merrimack Repertory Theatre Chases after ‘Wild Horses’”